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Key points
- Fires in southwestern Crete forced villages in the Rethymno region and tourists near Agia Galini to evacuate.
- About 8,000 people were evacuated, Crete deputy governor Maria Lioni said.
- Three firefighters died while responding to separate blazes on Crete and mainland Greece.
- Winds reaching 102 kilometers per hour restricted firefighting aircraft and hindered efforts to contain the flames.
How the story developed
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Latest development
Firefighting efforts on Crete continued into a second day on Thursday.
Latest
Greek firefighters entered a second day of battling Crete’s wildfires as strong winds continued to hamper containment efforts.
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