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

Firefighters raced Thursday to contain wildfires that forced thousands to flee holiday resorts on the southern Greek island of Crete, while neighboring Turkey grappled with its own deadly blazes that claimed at least one life.