Extreme wildfire danger declared for Crete, Rhodes and Karpathos

ATHENS — Greek civil protection authorities declared an extreme wildfire risk for Crete, Rhodes and Karpathos on Saturday as powerful winds and dry conditions raised fears of rapidly spreading fires.The three islands were placed in the highest wildfire risk category, with strong northerly winds forecast to produce gusts reaching 8 to 9 on the Beaufort scale.A Category 4, or very high, wildfire risk was also declared across Attica, southern Evia, southern Laconia, the Cyclades and islands of the eastern Aegean.Civil protection authorities called on government agencies, municipalities and regional administrations in the areas facing the greatest threat to increase their level of preparedness.The combination of dry conditions and powerful winds could cause fires to spread rapidly and make firefighting operations more difficult.Authorities urged residents and visitors to avoid activities in open areas that could ignite fires and to strictly follow fire-prevention measures.