Newsletters
A major blaze that ignited in the Palermo region, Italy, on Friday night spread rapidly on Saturday and remains ongoing on Sunday.
It started in the Sagana area of Montelepre and spread to several parts of the greater Palermo capital region, with fires also reported in Roccapalumba, Castronovo di Sicilia, and Prizzi, according to Italian news agency ANSA.
Ground and aerial crews were deployed across western and southern Sicily to battle multiple active wildfires threatening residential areas.
While the wildfires continued on Sunday, firefighting efforts were still ongoing, and Sicily's Civil Protection Department declared an orange pre-alert for wildfire risk across all nine provinces of the island.
Firefighters are continuing to fight from the air and on the ground using aircraft and helicopters equipped to fight fires in a maquis-shrubland area.
Local authorities evacuated residents of the Sagana region due to the risk of the fire spreading. Efforts are also underway in the region to evacuate animals.
No official figure has yet been given for the total area burned, though high temperatures and dry air are making it difficult to extinguish the fire.
Authorities warned that perceived temperatures could reach up to 37 degrees Celsius on Sunday, further complicating firefighting efforts.
The wildfires that have also broken out in France and Spain are proving experts right in their warnings about global warming.
Set as preferred source
2 min read
