Since all Canadair aircraft of the Italian civil defense are already engaged in fire fighting, Italy asked for the help of other EU countries, the government announced in Rome on Sunday evening. The central Italian region of Abruzzo was particularly hard hit by the fires on Sunday. Dramatic scenes took place in the Adriatic city of Pescara, in the southern part of which a severe fire broke out. A well-known pine grove was affected and the flames reached the houses. Some people who fought the flames were injured. A mass panic broke out on the beaches as the wind blew sparks from the burning forest down to the beach. Bathers fled the beach.
Residents ran out into the street with buckets and garden hoses to save their homes as the flames drew closer. Fire-fighting planes and dozens of firefighters were in action. The fires caused severe delays on the Adria railway line. Some stretches of the motorway had to be closed because the flames had almost reached the carriageway.
In the southern Italian seaside resort of Campomarino Lido in the Molise region, 97 tourists from three campsites were brought to safety by the coast guard by ship due to the risk of fire after the flames had spread. Another 900 bathers left the village for fear of the fires.
Heavy fires raged on Sunday in Sicily, Apulia and the southern Italian province of Campobasso. Fires have been blazing for days, especially in southern Italy and on the large islands. The west of Sardinia was also particularly hard hit. Forests and houses burned down there. Rescue workers had to bring people to safety. Drought, heat and strong winds keep causing the fires to spread.
Although the penalties for arson are very severe, including four to ten years in prison, fires remain a summer plague in Italy. Many are laid for building speculative reasons. Especially in the south, however, they also want to force state reforestation, reported experts. Unemployed people from the region would then be used for this.
Devastating fires in Europe’s holiday regions
Serious forest fires are also spreading along the Turkish Mediterranean coast. There are already several fatalities to mourn. Turkish authorities reported that three people were killed in a fire in the Antalya region.
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Extreme heat and drought in northern Russia, Canada and the USA
For more than two weeks in northern Russia, Canada and the USA wdue to extreme heat and drought, severe forest fires. Clouds of smoke threaten villages and towns.
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