It was supposed to be just a special effect, a scenic element to enrich the fiction that paradoxically was titled “Protezione Civile”, intended to be broadcast on Rai. Instead, the fire started during filming carried out in May 2022 on the island of Stromboli turned into a real environmental disaster, with devastating consequences for the local ecosystem and the island community. In fact, over 240 hectares of Mediterranean scrub devoured by fire were reduced to ashes, in what was a real catastrophe for the inhabitants of the island, forced to live two days of real hell and who now fear with every rain the collapse of the fragile island territory left bare of spontaneous vegetation.
The Public Prosecutor’s Office of Barcellona Pozzo di Gotto, directed by the prosecutor Joseph Verzera, has now requested the referral to trial of six suspects involved in the affair, including four individuals and two companies with legal personality for administrative responsibilities. For all the suspects, the hypothesis of the contested charge is that of negligent environmental disaster in collaboration with each other. Among the suspects are Matthew Levi 63 years old, Roberto Ricci 68 years old, Elio Terribili 63 years old, all Romans and Luca Palmentieri, 40 years from Naples, all well-known professionals in the field of special effects and film production. The companies involved are “11 Marzo Films srl” and “Best Sfx srls”, both based in Rome, known for their experience in the field of special effects for cinema.
