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Daniel Juhlin, 47, and his family are stranded on the Greek paradise island of Samos – in the middle of the SAS strike.
He was lying sunbathing on the beach when he saw thick black clouds of smoke rising behind the mountains.
– They moved closer and closer and then you felt that this might not be so good, he says.
A forest fire is currently raging on the southwestern part of the island of Samos in Greece, where several fires have broken out in recent weeks. Helicopters fly back and forth on the island and water bombs while firefighters fight on the ground to extinguish it.
On Wednesday night, a helicopter crashed into the sea off Samos, AFP reports with reference to Greek media. Four people are said to have been on board and two have so far been found, while the other two are missing.
Daniel Juhlin has been in Greece since early July with his wife and 16-year-old daughter.
They would spend one of the holiday days visiting the popular beach of Limionas some distance from the hotel. But sometime after lunch, they saw white streaked clouds rising behind the mountains.
– Because there are such narrow roads here, I first thought it was a car accident, he says.
It was when the clouds became thick and black and it blew up into a storm that he realized it could be dangerous. Like the other visitors to the beach, Daniel and his family left the place.
– Then I saw how the helicopters bombed water and how over 20 fire engines moved towards the place, it was an uncomfortable feeling, he says.
Daniel says that he came across some Greeks at the village of Votsolakia, a few kilometers away from the beach, and inquired about the situation. They looked anxiously away at the horizon and listened to the radio for news updates.
– Earthquakes, covid and now this, the Greeks are worried that tourism will get another blow, says Daniel Juhlin.
Daniel and his family moved back to the hotel, away from the military and firefighters, but he still smelled smoke.
– It is hazy away towards the mountain where it is burning so I could no longer see the fire, he says.
Informed the guests
Daniel and his family have received a text message from the travel company Airtours asking them to stay updated.
– We do not know when we will get home, we do not know how the fire started, we do not really know anything, he says.
Stefan Chatzopoulos is information manager at Airtours. He has been in contact with the local agent on Samos and according to him the winds are moving away from the resorts.
– The fire is currently far from our hotels and we follow how it all develops. Should we need to take action, we will of course do so, says Stefan Chatzopoulos.
The travelers who remain on the island may also be affected by the SAS strike.
– We flew home passengers in full plane last week, now we do not know what will happen to the travelers who are left on the island. But we hope that the negotiations will bear fruit, says Stefan Chatzopoulos.