In Abruzzo there is a fire emergency.
"There are open fronts in every province".
The Region has asked Rome for means and resources.
Trains with delays of over 400 minutes on the Adriatic railway, closed motorway toll booths, cars blocked for hours on the state and internal roads.
The effects on traffic are very heavy due to the fires that are literally bringing much of Abruzzo to its knees.
Even Tua, the only transport company in Abruzzo, had to modify the connection services, in particular for the fires that affected Pescara and Fossacesia (Chieti).
Dramatic scenes in Pescara
for a fire that is devastating the southern area of the city and in particular the Dannunziana pine forest and the nearby hills with three different ignition points. The flames reached the houses and there was a run-off from the beaches: the sparks pushed by the wind set the palms of the bathing establishments on fire. A disaster of unimaginable proportions. "The fires seem to be under control now." This was stated by the mayor of Pescara, Calo Masci, while the firefighters, canadair and helicopters continue their firefighting operations. "This area of the Pineta is an integral reserve and is completely destroyed. It makes you cry when you look at it. The environmental damage is incalculable. Here are the roots of Pescara. This is the heart of the city, its green lung and today we see it destroyed" .Thus, at ANSA, the mayor of Pescara, Carlo Masci, in front of sector 5 of the Pineta Dannunziana nature reserve, while the area is invaded by smoke and the extinguishing operations are continuing. "Being an integral reserve, it is an area not subject to maintenance and the undergrowth burned quickly - he explains - The flames also affected sector 4 of the Reserve, where a wooden house owned by the Municipality was also destroyed".area not subject to maintenance and the undergrowth burned rapidly - he explains - The flames also affected sector 4 of the Reserve, where a wooden house owned by the Municipality was also destroyed ".area not subject to maintenance and the undergrowth burned rapidly - he explains - The flames also affected sector 4 of the Reserve, where a wooden house owned by the Municipality was also destroyed ".
The Pescara Public Prosecutor's Office has already opened a file. And it is an endless emergency in the Pescara area. In addition to that of Pescara, numerous fires are in progress involving a large part of the provincial territory. A fire is creating particular problems in Farindola (Pescara): 31 people and a restaurant have been evacuated. Fires are also underway in Penne, Bolognano, Caramanico, Città Sant'Angelo and San Valentino in Abruzzo Cittiere. The Fire Brigade of the Provincial Command have called back all the available personnel to service and are using every available means, but they are struggling to manage the many requests for intervention and the switchboards are haywire. "A dramatic day", the president of the Province of Pescara, Antonio Zaffiri, told ANSA,that from the Rescue Coordination Center (CCS) in the Prefecture is following the operations.
Flames also on the Costa dei Trabocchi
- Numerous fires are underway in the municipal area of Ortona.
Several outbreaks are affecting various districts of the town.
Flames from the coast to the countryside.
One of the fires, in the city center, is licking the cemetery.
Fires threaten homes.
Hundreds of people away from home.
Problems also at the kennel: the facility will probably have to be evacuated and stalls are sought for the dogs housed.
Impassable roads and inconveniences in various parts of the city.
Fire brigade, civil protection and volunteers in action.
The fact that, despite the extremely difficult situation, a concert by Max Gazzè is underway is underway in the square.
Fires also in the Teramo area
- The operations to extinguish the various fires in the Teramo area also continue unabated. At the moment, what is most worrying is the situation in Altavilla, in the Municipality of Montorio, where a team of the Aquila fire brigade is intervening for a forest fire and brushwood and where it was necessary to evacuate the population, consisting of about 60 people. While the Teramo command teams are engaged in numerous interventions in Sant'Omero, in the hamlets of Sardinara and Villa Ripa di Teramo and on the Salinello reclamation in the municipality of Sant'Omero, where a team of firefighters from the command is also operating of Ascoli Piceno. Firefighters have always managed to avoid the worst in Fontanelle di Atri,where the flames have affected an area between the sports field and the Atrian fraction and where the fire extinguishing action was particularly difficult as the flames have dangerously approached the inhabited center. Only the work of the operating staff, with the collaboration offered by some farmers who created grooves in the ground to stem the fire, ensured that the houses were not reached by the flames. The fire of brushwood that the firefighters had to face in Mosciano Sant'Angelo is also challenging, where the flames threatened some buildings and the Teramo-Giulianova railway line. Furthermore, since this morning, the extinguishing of the scrub fire in Piancarani di Campli has continued,where a team of firefighters and several teams of Aib volunteers were engaged. A Dos (Director of Extinguishing Operations) was sent to Valle Castellana to coordinate the intervention of a Canadair and a team of Aib volunteers to extinguish a chestnut and beech forest.
Marsilio, behind the fires is the hand of man
- "We had what to say about a systematic attack with dozens of outbreaks in three provinces. Obviously it is not random at all and it is useless to think that it is just a matter of randomness of nature. systematic and scientific in points of difficult access with difficulty to turn off it is clear that there is almost always the hand of the man behind and I hope that the investigations and the judiciary and the investigators will make an important effort to bring these criminals to justice. risk human lives as well as destroying a precious environmental heritage. In Pescara the Pineta Dannunziana and one of our main landscaping areas were attacked.State of calamity? We'll see. Now let's think about putting out the fires. "So the president of the Abruzzo Region Marco Marsilio at ANSA at the end of the meeting chaired in the Prefecture in Pescara
The emergency in Italy
- And throughout Italy it is still a day of strong commitment for the crews of the Canadair and helicopters of the State Air Fleet, coordinated by the Department of Civil Protection, engaged non-stop from the first light of the day in extinguishing operations of the numerous forest fires for which air support to the operations carried out by the teams on the ground was essential. According to the available data, 43 requests for air competition have been received, of which 10 from Sicily, 8 from Calabria, 7 from Lazio, 5 from Abruzzo, 5 from Puglia, 3 from Basilicata, 2 from Molise and one each from Campania, Marche and Sardinia.
The Civil Protection asks for the activation of the EU mechanism
- Given the high number of fires affecting a large part of central-southern Italy, the Civil Protection Department, through the Crisis Unit, which has been meeting for days, continues to operate putting in place the necessary support actions to the Regions concerned. Due to the 49 requests for air competition that, only today, have engaged the State Fleet and considering the weather forecast for the next few days, the Head of Department has requested the activation of the Union Civil Protection Mechanism, to verify the possible support of aircraft from other countries.
