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Woman Documents Her Weekend Trip That Turned Into Survival Mode In 24 Hours, Goes Viral (Video)
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Woman Documents Her Weekend Trip That Turned Into Survival Mode In 24 Hours, Goes Viral (Video)

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In Rhodes, Greece, wildfires recently erupted, leading to the largest evacuation of tourists the country has seen to date. Approximately 2,466 residents from 17 villages along Corfu’s northern coast, a region favored by British villa owners and tourists, were forced to flee from their homes overnight.

One of the evacuees is Fiona Michelle, a 30-year-old content creator based in London, who shared her experience of being on the ground during the panic. She described it as a “weekend trip that transformed into survival mode within 24 hours.” The video rapidly gained popularity on TikTok, amassing hundreds of thousands of views within a couple of days.

On July 17, there were wildfires in Rhodes, Greece, which made their way toward tourist-filled resorts

Image credits: fionamichelle__

Image credits: fionamichelle__

As soon as the TikToker realized something was off, she inquired with the hotel staff, who informed her that they hadn’t received any official information except for a fire incident two villas away, and they assured her that their location was safe from evacuation. Of course, Fiona was unaware that wildfires had started three days earlier, on July 18, and were far from being under control.

Later, she noticed a chaotic scene with rescue helicopters and resort staff rushing back and forth. Concerned, she returned to her hotel room and urgently contacted reception to inquire about the situation and seek guidance.

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“They told me to get out of the room ASAP and head down to the beach immediately for safety,” Fiona told Buzzfeed.

“We asked them where we were going, [but] they weren’t sure themselves,” she continued, noting that at that point, local residents with boats jumped in to help as well. “[They] just said we must get on the boat. A lot of people were very unsure about getting on boats ’til they had no choice as everyone was leaving.”

TikToker Fiona Michelle was one of the tourists who documented what it was like to be on a “weekend trip that turned into survival mode in 24 hours”

Image credits: fionamichelle__

Image credits: fionamichelle__

Just another day in heaven

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Image credits: fionamichelle__

Image credits: fionamichelle__

Until it suddenly wasn’t

Image credits: fionamichelle__

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Image credits: fionamichelle__

Image credits: fionamichelle__

Image credits: fionamichelle__

Image credits: fionamichelle__

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Image credits: fionamichelle__

“They told me to get out of the room ASAP and head down to the beach immediately for safety”

Image credits: fionamichelle__

Image credits: fionamichelle__

Image credits: fionamichelle__

Image credits: fionamichelle__

Image credits: fionamichelle__

Everyone, including local residents with boats, hurried to help out panicking tourists

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Image credits: fionamichelle__

Image credits: fionamichelle__

Image credits: fionamichelle__

Image credits: fionamichelle__

Image credits: fionamichelle__

Image credits: fionamichelle__

Things did not look pretty even after reaching safety on a nearby island

Image credits: fionamichelle__

Upon returning to land, Fiona and many other panicky tourists were transported by buses to the nearest available hotels with vacant rooms. The majority of them spent the night in conference rooms, event spaces, or lobbies, patiently waiting for their pre-scheduled flights back home.

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For individuals like Fiona, this incident serves as a significant wake-up call. “While we are aware that global warming is a genuine threat to our planet and requires urgent action, it was only during that particular moment that I truly grasped the severity of global warming and how terrifying its consequences can be.”

You can watch Fiona’s survival video for yourself

@fionamichelle__Life comes at you fast♬ Kumama papa – drill remix – odyssybeatz

Although the fires were eventually contained, almost 20,000 people, mostly tourists, were forced to flee hotels on Rhodes, the island worst affected by the fires, in a single day. The operation was described as “the biggest evacuation ever” carried out in Greece.

Tragically, at least five lives were lost, and approximately 50,000 hectares (124,000 acres) of forests and vegetation were destroyed, as reported by the Athens Observatory.

On Friday, the country’s senior climate crisis official said that most of the 667 blazes in Greece were surprisingly started “by human hand”.
“During this time, 667 fires erupted – that is more than 60 fires a day – almost all over the country,” Vassilis Kikilias, the Greek minister of climate crisis and civil protection, told reporters.

“Unfortunately, the majority were ignited by human hand, either by criminal negligence or intent.”

Fiona and those impacted by the wildfires received a tremendous outpouring of support from people online

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Ignas Vieversys

Ignas Vieversys

Writer, Community member

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Ignas is an editor at Bored Panda with an MA in Magazine Journalism. When he is not writing about video games or hunting for interesting stories, chances are that you will find Ignas at the movies.

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Ignas Vieversys

Ignas Vieversys

Writer, Community member

Ignas is an editor at Bored Panda with an MA in Magazine Journalism. When he is not writing about video games or hunting for interesting stories, chances are that you will find Ignas at the movies.

Justinas Keturka

Justinas Keturka

Author, BoredPanda staff

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I'm the Visual Editor at Bored Panda, responsible for ensuring that everything our audience sees is top-notch and well-researched. What I love most about my job? Discovering new things about the world and immersing myself in exceptional photography and art.

Read less »

Justinas Keturka

Justinas Keturka

Author, BoredPanda staff

I'm the Visual Editor at Bored Panda, responsible for ensuring that everything our audience sees is top-notch and well-researched. What I love most about my job? Discovering new things about the world and immersing myself in exceptional photography and art.

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caroline_nagel avatar
Caroline Nagel
Community Member
1 year ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Tourism is one of the most polluting industries in the world and is one of the main causes of climate change and hence wild fires. I am more concerned for the locals who have lost their income and homes. I don't care for the spoilt tourists. They are no heroes nor victims. They lost nothing. They should not act like they are.

jonathanwiddowson avatar
Porribix
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

It was hardly Nightmarish though was it, she got evacuated, the fire got closer and boats took her to safety and a warm dry place to sleep which she then complains about. Talk about entitled. The country is on fire, the fact you don't have a room to yourself is so irrelevant.

jo_davies2208 avatar
Jo Davies
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

True. There were a lot of people who were sleeping I cars, airports, etc with small children and no food or water.

Load More Replies...
acey-ace16 avatar
Ace
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I don't understand why BP has to repost these Tiktok videos. It's not like there's anything to discuss; if I wanted to see this sort of thing I'd be a TT user; as it is I get actual information from real news sources.

Load More Comments
caroline_nagel avatar
Caroline Nagel
Community Member
1 year ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Tourism is one of the most polluting industries in the world and is one of the main causes of climate change and hence wild fires. I am more concerned for the locals who have lost their income and homes. I don't care for the spoilt tourists. They are no heroes nor victims. They lost nothing. They should not act like they are.

jonathanwiddowson avatar
Porribix
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

It was hardly Nightmarish though was it, she got evacuated, the fire got closer and boats took her to safety and a warm dry place to sleep which she then complains about. Talk about entitled. The country is on fire, the fact you don't have a room to yourself is so irrelevant.

jo_davies2208 avatar
Jo Davies
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

True. There were a lot of people who were sleeping I cars, airports, etc with small children and no food or water.

Load More Replies...
acey-ace16 avatar
Ace
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I don't understand why BP has to repost these Tiktok videos. It's not like there's anything to discuss; if I wanted to see this sort of thing I'd be a TT user; as it is I get actual information from real news sources.

Load More Comments
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