Exceptionally gusty seasonal winds continued to fuel a wildfire front northeast of Athens proper before daybreak on Wednesday and during the first morning hours.
The strongest wind gust was measured at 04.50 (02.50 GMT) at 113 kilometers per hour, with wind speeds dropping to between 75 and 85 kilometers per hour some four hours later.
The wildfire erupted on the southeast slopes of Mt. Penteli a day earlier, a stretch of mountainous and hilly land – interspersed with housing settlements – repeatedly scorched over past decades by wildfires, with some previous blazes intentionally started.
