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.

A new wildfire has erupted in Greece prompting evacuations, while firefighters in Turkey pressed ahead with efforts to contain a deadly blaze west of the country

Wildfires are burning across Europe, with major blazes in Greece and Turkey forcing thousands to evacuate and killing two people.