People depart the Greek island of Rhodes amid raging wildfires

Locals and tourists fled hotspots on the Greek island of Rhodes on Sunday, as firefighters, backed by water jets and helicopters, battled a blaze that sparked the country's largest-ever fire evacuation.

Wind gusts of up to 31 miles per hour were complicating efforts to bring the flames under control. The island of Rhodes is one of Greece's most popular tourist destinations, particularly with British, German and French tourists -- many of whom were being rapidly moved out of the path of the flames.

As Greece has been battered by an extended spell of extreme heat, flames have burned for nearly a week on the island.