Italy

Sicily bears the largest brunt due to wildfires

cde.news desk 29 July 2023, 15:00 · 1 min read

epa10769888 An helicopter douses the raging wildfire during an aerial operations to put out the fire in the wooded areas of Pedara, center to the slopes of Etna, near Catania, South Italy, 26 July 2023. To combat the raging fire, the mayor of Aci Catena, Margherita Ferro, has asked for help and called for the 'intervention of helicopters and Canadair', while calling on citizens to stay at home. EPA-EFE/ORIETTA SCARDINO

Some 51,386 hectares of crops, woodland and other vegetation have gone up in smoke in Italy due to mainly arson-caused wildfires since the start of the year, environmental group Legambiente said on data updates to Thursday July 27.
This is the equivalent of over 73,408 soccer pitches, it said.

In the last three days alone, Legambiente said, no less than 31,078 hectares of vegetation have been consumed by the flames.
“The last three days’ data are shocking,” it said referring to July 25-27, when wildfires swept much of the south and especially Sicily.

The lion’s share of the destruction since the start of the year has been suffered by Sicily with 41,365 hectares of greenery lost, or 80% of the total.

It is followed by Calabria with 7,390 hectares, Puglia (1.456) and Abruzzo (284 hectares).