Two major blazes burn west of Athens

Two major wildfires were burning west of Athens for a second day in a row Tuesday, burning dozens of houses, animals and threatening an oil refinery late at night, authorities said.

Starting in Attica Monday, the fires have spread into the regional units of Corinthia and Viotia, burning mostly through forestland, but also farmland, authorities said.

A third fire that started in eastern Attica, southeast of Athens, was contained early Tuesday. Estimates about the affected area vary from 2,000 to 3,000 hectares.

Officials canceled vacations and leave for firefighters, while Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis cut short a visit to Brussels and returned to Athens to meet with the heads of the Fire Service and Civil Protection Agency.

"The swirling and gusty winds keep shifting the fire's front to the west," Fire Service spokesman Yiannis Artopios told...