Residents Flee Forest Fires in Athens, Greece

The skies over Athens, Greece, are a hazy orange as a pair of wildfires rage outside the city.

The first fire started in the Geraneia mountains near the town of Kineta, which is about 30 miles from Athens, and the other began in the northeast in the Penteli and Rafina areas.

Homes have been evacuated and some have been destroyed, according to reports. The coast guard was sending a patrol boat to evacuate people trapped on a beach by the flames, and the blaze also shut down a 13-mile section of highway that connects the Peloponnese with central Greece. Ash is falling around the city as well.

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Wildfires are common in Greece in the summer months and the city has been experiencing temperatures upwards of 104 degrees so an outbreak is not surprising.

Greek authorities have declared a state of emergency in both the eastern and western parts of greater Athens, and reports say that the city is seeking assistance from the European Union to battle the fires that have been fanned by strong winds in the area.