Firefighters battle blazes on Greek island of Crete

Firefighters battled blazes on the Greek island of Crete on Saturday after several fires have spread on the island since Friday.

The fire service said 120 firefighters were tackling the flames, assisted by five helicopters.

Some villages evacuated "on the initiative of the local authorities," a spokesman said.

Local media has reported that luxury villas rented by tourists were also evacuated.

The fire service cannot give an estimate on the damage at this point.

But high winds prevail and temperatures are rising.

There has been an alert since mid-week of dangerous conditions in the Athens region, parts of southern Greece including Crete and some Aegean islands.

Greece suffers destructive wildfires every summer.

In 2018, more than 100 people died in a blaze at the Mati seaside resort east of Athens.

Since then, authorities have focused on swift, precautionary evacuations of inhabited areas under threat.

(IMAGE: AP)