Italy has asked the EU to send fire-fighting planes to control the serious fires that have raged in western Sardinia since Saturday. Luigi Di Maio reported on Facebook that Italy’s civil protection authorities had asked for Canadair planes. “Two planes are already on their way from France, thank you for that,” wrote the Foreign Minister.
The fires raged in the province of Oristano in the west of the island and destroyed 20,000 hectares of land, killed animals and damaged houses and farms. There were no reports of deaths. 1,500 people had to leave their homes, the media reported. Hot south-westerly winds made fighting the flames difficult. Christian Solinas, President of the Sardinia Region, described the fires as an “unprecedented catastrophe”.
