While rain has contained many fires in some Mediterranean countries, Italy continues to experience drought and heat. In Algeria, a mob sets fire to an alleged arsonist.
Catanzaro / Algiers – Italy continues to look spellbound at further forest fires. The regional president of Calabria wanted to convene mayors and representatives of the fire-affected places in the southern Italian region today, according to a statement.
The assembly should provide information about the current forest fire situation and take further measures in the fight against the fire. In Calabria, the flames have destroyed areas in the area of the protected Aspromonte National Park in recent days. So far, four forest fire deaths have been reported in the region.
Fight the fire
On the islands of Sicily and Sardinia, the civil defense issued the highest forest fire warning level for large areas again today. Looking at the thermometer, the experts expected values of around 40 degrees at the top. In the rest of Italy, too, residents and tourists had to be prepared for extreme temperatures for Friday. The Ministry of Health warned of a heat wave in 15 cities. Even at the weekend, people have to keep sweating. According to the ministry, temperatures could have an impact on health even in healthy people.
Meanwhile, the fire brigades in Italy continued to fight numerous forest fires. The civil protection authority spoke of a total of 33 requests on Thursday for the use of fire-fighting aircraft, nine each from Sicily and Calabria. France again sent airmen to support the fire fighting in Italy from the air.
The fires keep spiraling out of control and sometimes threaten buildings. So far, the flames have blazed in many nature reserves, forests and fields and destroyed crops and houses. In Sicily, for example, there was a fire near the village of Linguaglossa in a nature reserve on the Etna volcano, which is popular with day trippers. A resident from the Etna area told the dpa: “We are used to forest fires, but this year the situation is definitely worse.” August is a particularly hot and dry month in Italy.
Reasons for the fires
The mixture of persistent heat, drought and winds usually ensure that the flames spread quickly. Many fires are suspected of being arson or careless behavior. Politicians in Italy have recently called for the penalties for arson to be tightened. There were also voices from the local Catholic Church condemning the acts of the arsonists.
In Algeria, too, the government assumes “planned” actions in the fires, which have so far killed many dozen people. 22 suspects have since been arrested, said President Abdelmadjid Tebboune in a speech to the nation on state television.
In the Tizi Ouzou region, which was particularly hard hit by the fires, an angry mob set fire to a man in revenge and burned him alive. The crowd thought he was an arsonist. The act caused great horror in the population. According to media reports, the allegations also turned out to be false – the man had come to the region to help with fire fighting. However, there has not yet been an official assessment. The prosecutor opened an investigation into the incident.
According to Tebbounes, two fire-fighting planes from Spain and three from Switzerland should arrive on Friday. Previously, according to the head of state Emmanuel Macron, France had already sent two fire-fighting planes and a command plane to the region. dpa
