Status: 07/31/2021 8:59 a.m.
Drought, heat and strong winds are currently creating a dangerous mix in parts of Italy: In Sicily, the fire brigade therefore had to deploy more than 140 fires on Friday alone.
The Italian fire brigade continues to fight numerous fires in Sicily. On Friday, the emergency services alone moved out 140 times by late afternoon, as the fire brigade announced on Twitter.
Fire in front of the city of Catania
A photo from a helicopter showed fires that had penetrated as far as the large city of Catania in eastern Sicily. Thick billows of smoke drifted over the houses of the city at the foot of the Etna volcano. Catania Airport had to temporarily suspend flight operations.
According to the Ansa news agency, houses have been evacuated in the city. The civil protection authority in Sicily predicted the highest fire risk level for eastern and northern Sicily on Saturday. The temperatures should therefore be a little below 40 degrees Celsius again.
Fires have been blazing for days, especially in southern Italy and on the large islands. In addition to Sicily, western Sardinia is also particularly affected. 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.
Nationwide, the fire brigade spoke of a total of around 370 forest fire operations. The situation is also critical in Lazio, where the capital Rome is, as well as in the regions of Apulia and Campania.
Several fires are raging in Sicily
Elisabeth Pongratz, ARD Rome, July 31, 2021 8:16 am