Family's horror Greek island holiday as they're forced to flee hotel

A family from Oldham have spoken of their terror after their hotel was evacuated as wildfires ripped through the Greek island of Kos.

Sarah Shaw and her husband Mark were among thousands of holidaymakers forced to flee when the blaze broke out on Monday (July 1). Tourists have described scenes of pandemonium as they took refuge in schools and a football stadium as thick clouds of smoke billowed over resorts.

In the coastal town of Kardamena - a short distance from where the fire raged - thousands of people were ordered to leave their hotels yesterday evening. Husband and wife Mark and Sarah Shaw were among those caught up in the drama.

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The couple, who arrived in Kos on June 26 along with their 16-year-old son Harley, said they first learned of the wildfires on Monday afternoon.

"You could feel the bits of soot falling," explained Ms Shaw. "We looked behind the hotel and could see all the smoke."

After Harley received an emergency alert on his mobile phone about the fires, Ms Shaw went to speak to hotel staff, who she said initially told her to "stay put".

However, while eating dinner at a restaurant inside their hotel later that evening, Ms Shaw said she noticed the lobby was "filling with smoke". Staff then informed the family that the hotel was being evacuated.

Ms Shaw recalled: "They said 'have you got your passports? You need to leave now'. We were frightened to death.

"The smoke was blowing towards the hotel. We had to run back to the room and just grab a few things and leave. People were panicking and some people had packed their whole belongings."

They were then bundled onto a coach and taken to a school along with thousands of other holidaymakers and locals, she said.

"You could see the burning flames," explained Mrs Shaw. "It was terrifying.

"We didn't know where we were, they just told us to get on the coach. There were groups of families huddled together. The police were there, and the army."

As the inferno spread, Mrs Shaw said she and her family were moved to a church hall on the opposite side of Kos. They were eventually allowed to return to their hotel at 11am on Tuesday.

Greece has been battling severe fires for weeks, exacerbated by hot and arid conditions, with the national fire service bracing for a challenging season. The country's Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, has warned that the fires are likely to worsen as the summer progresses. Last year, extensive wildfires in Greece killed more than 20 people.

More than 100 firefighters have been fighting the fire on Kos, which has since eased. Ms Shaw and her family are due to fly back to the UK on Sunday evening but say they will "on tenterhooks" until then.

"It's been dreadful," she added. "We didn't sleep last night.

"It's definitely put us off coming back to Greece, even though the staff and locals have been fantastic. The volunteers were bringing food out, bottles of water and first aid kits."