Greek authorities placed Crete, Rhodes and Karpathos under the highest wildfire risk category as strong winds and dry conditions threaten to fuel rapidly spreading fires.

Civil protection authorities were on high alert on Thursday due to a very high risk of wildfire in five regions of Greece.

Most of the southern island of Crete, as well as Rhodes, faces a maximum risk of wildfire Friday, authorities said, while nearly the entire remaining Aegean Sea archipelago and…