Even during their worst tantrums, the Greek gods never triggered an eruption on Rhodes. Unlike its cousin Santorini, the Aegean island is not volcanic. However, the desolate landscape left behind by 10 days of fire between July 18 and 28 is reminiscent of an immense lava flow that swept down the mountain into the sea. The major fire caused no human casualties but ravaged almost 18,000 hectares of forest and vegetation (around 15% of the island's surface area), burnt 50,000 olive trees, trapped thousands of animals including 2,500 domestic animals, destroyed or damaged around 50 buildings and led to the mass evacuation of 20,000 tourists in the southeast of the island.

Not everyone left. On a burnt-out beach at the entrance to the seaside resort of Kiotari, a Norwegian couple sat in small armchairs by the water, their backs to the emerald sea, facing the scorching sun and with cans in hand. The parasol was mainly used to keep Mythos, the local beer, cool in the cooler. "It's very sad, it was paradise here last week," said Monica Stenberg, crimson from head to toe but loyal to Rhodes for 30 years. In her swimsuit amid the rubble, her partner Johansen showed a friend the extent of the damage on a video call.

The vegetation lining the cove was charred. Showers, duckboards, parasols and beach mattresses were consumed by the flames. The chic beach bar (350 covers) with its arbor and large wooden terrace became a pile of rubble. Two employees went to inspect what could be salvaged. The verdict: "Nothing." On the phone, the owner, who goes by Manolis so as not to give his name, railed against the "incompetence" of the authorities and the firemen who "didn't even try" to save his bar. He does not know if he will rebuild. He had opened it two months ago but did not have all of the permits he needed.

When the fire truck rushed by, Dimitris Chatzifotis got onto the road and shouted to get their attention. The vehicle did not stop, and his restaurant burned down. The Angelaki Taverna was an institution in the region: For 32 years, people had been going there to enjoy the famous dish of oven-braised goat cheese accompanied by a sauce made with tomatoes from the garden. The vegetable garden was littered with the corpses of hens. Chatzifotis' mother used to raise around 60 of them to prepare creamy omelets for her customers. They all perished. Of the nine rabbits ("for the children, not to eat," said Chatzifotis), only Arapis, black as the trunks of the charred fig trees, survived. Today, he was eating leftover watermelon.

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