Smoke billows into the sky over Krya Vrysi in Rethymno, Crete. [InTime News]
Strong winds were keeping water-dumping aircraft grounded on the southern Aegean island of Crete, where firefighters were battling a fast-moving wildfire in the regional unit of Rethymno.
“Unfortunately, the latest information indicates that winds will increase later in the day,” Giorgos Tsapakos, Crete’s deputy regional governor for civil protection, told Skai TV on Thursday.
“Aircraft were unable to operate this morning due to the strong winds,” he added.
The fire, which broke out on Wednesday afternoon in Krya Vrysi in southern Rethymno, spread rapidly across multiple fronts, burning agricultural land, crops, homes and livestock, and forcing evacuations in several villages.
