Italy is currently affected by numerous forest fires - including holiday areas.
NASA maps show where they are worst.
In numerous southern European countries - above all Italy, Greece * and Turkey - violent forest fires have been keeping the population and tourists in suspense for a few days.
In the coming days, a new heat wave is on the march, which will cause temperatures in many places to rise to over 40 degrees.
Italy 2021: On this map you can see where forest fires are currently raging
Italy is a popular holiday destination for Germans, but given the current situation, many tourists wonder whether their travel destination is still safe.
A real-time satellite map from NASA shows exactly where the forest fires are in Italy.
In the so-called “Fire Information for Resource Management System” (FIRMS), the space agency brings together all satellite data on fires and thermal anomalies from space and makes them accessible to the public.
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NASA's satellite images show the global forest fires on August 8, 2021.
© dpa / NASA / GSFC, MODIS Rapid Response.
Forest fires in Italy: which resorts are affected?
The southern regions of Italy -
Calabria, Apulia and Abruzzo
- as well as the
islands of Sardinia and Sicily
are
particularly
affected by the forest fires. On Friday morning, the fire brigade announced that helpers had deployed 395 missions in the previous twelve hours. Most of the missions so far have taken place in Sicily and Calabria. Eight fire-fighting planes are in use, including in the
provinces of Reggio Calabria, Cosenza and Matera
. In Sicily there was even an
emergency and crisis
for six months
proclaimed that there has been a fire since the end of July and that there will be a permanent risk in the coming weeks due to the extraordinary weather conditions, said regional president Nello Musumeci in a Facebook post. Palermo and Catania in particular could be affected in the next few days with temperatures of up to 40 degrees. The civil protection authority classified the entire island in the highest fire risk category.
On the popular holiday island of
Sardinia
, the west coast in particular is affected by numerous fires. In the
province of Oristano
, the fire brigade reported a fire in a tourist accommodation on Saturday morning. There were no injuries. According to their own statements, the emergency services were able to prevent the flames from spreading to the surrounding vegetation. Italian media report that a large conflagration in the
west of the island
also resulted in 400 people having to leave their homes - tourists were also affected. According to media reports, the Italian public prosecutor's office is now investigating whether it is serious negligent arson.
The regions on the
Adriatic coast of Italy
are also badly affected by forest fires.
The
Molise region
has already applied for a state of emergency due to the fires on the coast and inland.
Some houses had to be evacuated and people brought to safety because of bushfires.
In the
Abbruzzo
region
, the coastal town of
Pescara
and a nature reserve were
particularly
hard hit
last Sunday
.
Here too, houses were evacuated and people were brought to safety.
Rescue workers in the
Apulia
region
had their
hands full
, especially in the town of
Gravina in Puglia
.
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Forest fire on the Adriatic coast in Italy - tourist resort evacuated
At the weekend, it was mainly the images from the
municipality of Campomarino
in the Italian region of Molise on the Adriatic coast that hit the media.
The authorities had to
evacuate hotels, campsites and houses in the district of Campomarino Lido by the sea
, as the fire department announced.
The area is a popular place for tourists.
More than 400 people had to be taken out of their homes.
A video from the local fire department shows billows of smoke moving through the streets of the community.
Accordingly, a fire-fighting aircraft and a helicopter were in use to fight the flames from the air.
Initially, nothing was reported of injuries.
🔴 #Incendio boschivo a Campomarino Lido, evacuate oltre 400 persone tra alberghi, campeggi e abitazioni nelle vicinanze.
#vigilidelfuoco al lavoro con squadre a terra, un #canadair e l'elicottero del reparto volo di #Bari a protezione delle strutture [# 8agosto 19:30] pic.twitter.com/hjV8Cevsg2
- Vigili del Fuoco (@emergenzavvf) August 8, 2021
Where do the forest fires in Italy come from?
As a rule, there is a risk of fire for forests in regions that are particularly hot and dry - also in the countries of southern Europe. Fires therefore occur annually in Greece, Italy and Turkey. However, according to the environmental protection organization WWF,
only four percent of all forest fires
worldwide have
a natural cause
, such as lightning strikes. The majority - well over 90 percent - is caused by arson or carelessness on the part of people.
In Italy, 98 percent of forest fires can be traced back to humans, as n-tv reports, citing the environmental organization Legambiente. Almost 60 percent of them are deliberate arson. The background to this is mostly of an economic nature: the arsonists hope that the areas will be rededicated, for example from pasture or forest areas to arable or building land. Sometimes it is also an act of revenge or a means of putting pressure on the local government.
Climate change has to do with forest fires in that it extends the forest fire season significantly.
The fires develop into
real "firestorms"
, as WWF reports, which can hardly be brought under control.
They cannot be stopped until weather conditions change or the fire runs out of food.
However, longer and longer periods of drought in summer combined with more drought in the other seasons make this more difficult.
Forest fires in Italy: can the vacation be canceled?
“When unavoidable and extraordinary circumstances significantly affect the trip,
package travelers can
withdraw from your contract or end your trip prematurely, ”explains Jennifer Kaiser from the Rhineland-Palatinate consumer center. “
Circumstances are inevitable and extraordinary
when travelers and tour operators cannot control them. This is the case with natural disasters such as volcanic eruptions, forest fires, earthquakes or seaquakes in or in the immediate vicinity of the travel area. The tour operator himself can also cancel the trip if it can only be carried out to a limited extent or not at all. "He must declare his resignation immediately after becoming aware of the circumstances and reimburse the travel price within 14 days."
Individual travelers
usually have to hope for the goodwill of the individual providers - especially if the holiday destination can be visited without any health risk.
In this case, a cancellation fee may apply.
Different travel services usually do not have to be paid for if they cannot be provided.
For example, if the property is in a restricted area.
(fk) * Merkur.de is an offer from IPPEN.MEDIA.
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