Overview

• As of Thursday night, fires across southeast Crete have been largely confined to multiple isolated hotspots
• Strong north winds reaching force 9 on the Beaufort scale are forecast to persist into Friday, hindering aerial and ground operations
• Evacuation shelters remain open for roughly 5,000 residents and tourists relocated from five coastal communities
• Over 270 firefighters supported by 10 water-dropping helicopters, drones and reinforcements from Athens continue active suppression efforts
• The blaze has damaged dozens of homes and businesses, scorched hundreds of hectares of vegetation, and hospitalized four people with respiratory problems