At least 200 homeowners and visitors were evacuated as a major wildfire broke out in the hills above Lake Garda in Italy.
A forest fire has broken out near Lake Garda in Italy, a renowned tourist destination. Heat and strong gusts are complicating firefighting efforts. Firefighters are mostly concerned with defending residential properties.
Firefighters are combating a forest fire at Lake Garda, Italy. So far, towering flames and high winds have prevented emergency workers from bringing the fire under control. More than 200 people were evacuated as a precaution on the lake’s western bank, including holidaymakers from a holiday resort.
Several vacation houses also needed to be evacuated. Residents and visitors were anticipated to be allowed to return home within a few hours. Western Europeans especially like vacationing in Italy’s biggest lake.
The fire brigade reports that a fire is raging in the municipality of Tignale. The flame in the foothills above the beach grew quickly on Friday evening and into the night, fuelled by recent dry weather.
The heat will last at least until mid-August
Numerous emergency workers, including firefighting planes and helicopters, were on the scene this morning. The terrain above Lake Garda is covered in dense coniferous woodland that is unusually dry, promoting fire spread and complicating firefighting attempts. “Currently, the focus is on containing the fire fronts and protecting some residential buildings,” authorities said. The cause of the fire is yet unknown.
People across Italy have been suffering through a heat wave for weeks, with temperatures sometimes exceeding 40 degrees Celsius. In addition, there is severe drought. Major rivers like the Po are carrying very little water. Almost all major cities are currently under a red alert due to acute health risks to the population. No relief is expected until at least the middle of the month.
A red alert is issued by the government in Rome when there is extreme heat combined with high humidity. This poses acute health risks not only for the elderly and other at-risk groups, but also for healthy individuals and those who are physically active. The warning currently applies from north to south, from Bolzano in South Tyrol to Palermo on the Mediterranean island of Sicily.
