Everyone had to flee into the ocean when the flames arrived. Now 12 Norwegians are evacuated from a rescue center.

For more than six hours, the two young Norwegians remained in the sea water and at the beach, accompanied by 70 to 80 residents and other foreign tourists. Many times they had to go down in the water to avoid thick smoke and glistening clouds above them.

– Everything went incredibly fast. We had smells of smoke earlier in the day, but only when a helicopter came down to the beach to fill the water, we realized that something bad was happening, "says Bjørk Margrete Ellingsbø on the phone of Athens.

Napkins to burn

While flames broke in the neighborhood and the hallways of the hotel were filled with unpleasant smoke, they were dragging their suitcases on the beach at 6:30 pm Monday.

There was a huge chaos of terrified people. They met Greek children and elderly people with severe burns, and local families who had escaped from burning homes.

– We gave more towels for people who had burns and flakes of skin. Out of the night, he burned everything. Ellingsbø explains that it was our only hotel that did not shoot in the bay where we were.

She and Alexander Kilde Lien were living at the Solia Ramada Attica Riviera hotel when the flames turned the dream vacation into a thrilling drama.

Only 2 hours after staying in the sea most of the night and night, they were evacuated by a boat

– It is wrong to think of all those who died or lost their houses in the fire. Scandinavians at the hotel

Sidsel Nordestgaard in the Solia travel company confirms that 12 Norwegians had bought package tours for the hotel.

None of the Scandinavians suffered severe damage to the fire.

– All were evacuated from Nea Makri, first by boat to Rafina, then by bus to Athens. . The Swedes returned home Tuesday, while Danes and Norwegians are now staying in hotels in Athens before returning home Thursday.

The Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs was informed on Tuesday that more Norwegians were involved in the forest fire in Greece. "We have been in contact with a person who has been touched and who has provided consular assistance," said press officer Kari Eken Wollebæk.