2 forest fires are burning out of control around Athens

Twin forest fires are raging on both sides of Athens, leaving at least three people dead and 56 injured, Greek authorities said.

The fires are being stoked by high winds, and an unknown number of homes have burned to the ground. Some people, left with nowhere else to go, have escaped by running down to the beach and entering the water. There are also fires in northeastern Greece and the island of Crete, with at least 600 firefighters dispatched to battle the blazes. Cyprus has offered to send firefighters to Greece, while Spain has said it will provide water-dropping aircraft.

"We are doing everything humanly possible to try and tackle these fires," Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said. "What concerns us is that there are fires occurring simultaneously."

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