A mum has told how tempers flared and fights broke out in the “chaotic” evacuation on the fire-ravaged Greek island of Rhodes.

Charlotte Buckwell was with her husband Leigh and their two young children on the beach when the skies turned to glowing orange and ash started to fall as wildfires approached their resort.

Sensing “things weren’t quite right”, Charlotte ran to their room as a siren sounded to grab passports, a laptop, nappies and a change of clothes for Izabella, nine, and Henry, four.

It was the family’s first holiday abroad in four years and they were on a two-week break when they learned of holiday-makers being forced to flee their hotels and running into the sea to escape the flames raging across the idyllic isle.

Charlotte, from Lower Stoke, near Rochester, said: “We have been to Rhodes many times and had seen fires before, but knew the Greeks were used to them and knew how to handle them.

“On the Friday night we would have normally sat on the balcony and watched the entertainment, but it was too smoky.

“On Saturday lunchtime, we headed to the beach and everyone was quite calm. The staff even brought out a barbecue and were handing out pizza, water and towels.

“And then the wind suddenly got up and we were told to move along the coast to the next village.”

As transport arrived to take them to evacuation points, friction arose among the hundreds of tourists jostling to get on board coaches and trucks.

She said: “I was told to get on first as we had young children. But we were pushed aside. I even saw a mum feeding her baby being shoved.”

Her husband, Leigh, 42, a technical sales manager, described the situation as “pretty much carnage”.

The couple were split up at the first evacuation point and due to the poor phone signal they were unable to find each other for two hours.

Once they were reunited they were taken to an evacuation point on the back of a pick-up truck where they were finally able to get a coach to a sister hotel in Falaraki. They got there at 10.30pm.

She said: “I was getting worried because I could not get a signal and Izabella was getting scared.

“But I had to hold it together for the kids. I had to make it look like a bit of an adventure.”

When they arrived they had to sleep on sunbed mattresses in the bar area for two nights.

But Charlotte was keen to stress how “fantastic” the staff treated them.

She said: “We were the lucky ones. It was uncomfortable but were given food, drinks and toiletries.

“I did get a bit teary at the airport. I kept remembering what had happened over the last two days.”

She was allowed to return to their original five-star accommodation in Kiotari to pick up the rest of their belongings before boarding their flight to Gatwick on Monday.

She said: “There were scorch marks on the walls and we had to be guided to our room because of the fire damage. They apparently lost 25 rooms.”

She said: “We will be going back, despite what happened. Many Greeks have lost their livelihood and homes.

“We were treated so brilliantly. We feel we have a duty of thanks to them.”