The fire that kept the Sarizzo hills in Messina in check since this morning has been extinguished. Two canadairs (CAN30 and CAN31) are in action, carrying out continuous drops of water to push back the flames fed by the wind. Also fighting the advance of the fire were five teams on the ground from the Forestry Corps who have been working since yesterday to put out the forest and vegetation fires in the hills around Messina. The flames had also caused the explosion of old war devicesremnants probably dating back to the bombings of the Second World War that were still in the area. Road 113 which goes from the Neurolesi center to the Sarrizzo hills is still closed in both directions due to some falling or collapsed trees on which action is being taken to cut them and make the road safe. Finally yesterday, as a precaution, it was necessary to clear the equipped area of Musolino half of the picnics of the Messina people on holidays.
Several fires were also tamed by the Fire Brigade, Forestry and Civil Protection in the provinces of Messina, Palermo and Trapani. In particular, fires were managed in the Messina area in: Librizzi, San Pietro Patti, Capo d’Orlando, Francavilla, Sinagra, Raccuja and Gioiosa Marea. NoIn the municipality of Raccuja in the Campo Melia district, some people were evacuated as a precaution because the fire got dangerously close to the inhabited area. A fire is still active in Piraino. Massive fire in the industrial area of Brancaccio in Palermo. A warehouse used for storing meat and a camper were on fire. In Campofelice di Roccella, still in an industrial area, a vast bush fire broke out near the state road 113. The flames destroyed a warehouse where goods of Chinese origin were stored. In San Giuseppe Jato a brushwood fire broke out in the Scala Ferro district. In the Trapani area, on the other hand, a Mediterranean bush fire broke out in Custonaci in Contrada Frassino. The fires that affected the area of Castellammare del Golfo and Scopello yesterday afternoon have been extinguished. The red alert remains due to fire risk in particular in the provinces of Enna, Caltanissetta and Catania, orange in the remaining provinces, as can be seen from the bulletin issued by the Regional Civil Protection. Trapani-Birgi airport has been operational since yesterday evening.
“Yesterday what was foreseen for the red alert happened with fires in the provinces of Palermo, Trapani and Messina. The situation during the night was more critical in several municipalities in the Messina area” the general manager of the Civil Protection Department of the Region, Salvatore Cocina, told Italpress. “It is hoped that thanks to the lowering of temperatures the risk of fires will also be reduced. However, there is still a strong wind coming from the North – West fed by Atlantic currents, which keeps attention high especially in the area of Messina, Enna, Caltanissetta and Catania” concludes Cocina.