Gale force wind gusts complicated efforts on Friday to contain wildfires on Crete that have razed forests and olive groves and forced thousands of residents and tourists to evacuate.

Firefighters in Turkey continue to battle wildfires in the Aegean coastal province of İzmir while authorities in neighboring Greece have brought similar fires under control

A new wildfire in Greece prompted evacuations in coastal areas south of Athens of Friday, as firefighters in neighboring Turkey remained locked in a battle to contain flames tearing through forested hillsides in the west of the country.