Motorways closed as wildfires in Greece threaten oil refinery

A fire burns trees next to a road near the village of Agia Sotira, near Athens (Thanassis Stavrakis/AP)

Fast-moving wildfires have swept across hills in the searing heat outside the Greek capital Athens, forcing authorities to close motorways to help protect an oil refinery.

Water-dropping planes and helicopters flew low through a blanket of smoke tinted orange by the sunset to try to contain two wildfires to the west of Athens before nightfall.