Fires in Italy have already left five dead and threaten access to UNESCO heritage sites

at least Five people died In Italy because of the fires that devoured hectares of forests in Sicily and Sardinia, especially in Calabria in the south of the country. Many municipalities and regions that have been announced have already been evacuated UNESCO Heritage They are threatened with fire.

Among the last three victims, who joined the farmers who died a few days ago in Calabria, is a 77-year-old man who died in his country house due to a fire in Grotria, in the province of Reggio Calabria, while Try to save his animals.

Also in Calabria, a 79-year-old man was found dead near his home in Cardetto after a fire broke out, while the third victim was another farmer. crushed tractor when he battled the flames that were haunting his home in Paterno, Sicily.

The high temperatures that have exceeded 45 degrees And the strong khamaseen winds lit several fires stay active In Sicily, where four fronts threaten urban centers and about 800 people had to be evacuated in the cities of Petralia, Soprana and Polizzi Generosa.

This situation prompted the President of Sicily, Nello Musumechi, to demand that the government declare emergency situation Until more aid is sent, in addition to nearly 5,000 people working to put out the fires.

“We put out a fire, and then a second later, another opened in front of it a few kilometers away,” said Salvo Cucina, head of the regional civil protection.

For his part, the Undersecretary of the Ministry of the Interior, Carlo Sibelia, ordered immediate reinforcements to be sent to Calabria, One of the most affected areas In the flames, 130 firefighters from Lazio, Lombardy, Tuscany, Marche, Veneto and Emilia Romagna will arrive in the next few hours, as well as troops from the army.

The mayor of Reggio Calabria, Giuseppe Falcomata, described the desperate situation in the region. “we We lose our historyOur identity turns to ashes, our authentic souls burn in public silence,” the mayor wrote on Facebook, warning that forests in the area remain in danger and the fires are causing untold damage.

The situation is critical in the municipalities of Rocaforte del Greco, Rogodi, Bagalade and Cardetto, where the residents of some houses have been evacuated and the fire is approaching the area “Hell Valley” In the town of San Luca, where there is a hundred-year-old beech forest, is a UNESCO heritage site.

Hundreds of people are working there to create a fire that will keep the flames from reaching that national park.

According to a report by the largest farmers’ union, Coldiretti, the fire has devoured since the beginning of the year 102,933 hectares in the country, an area the size of 140,000 football fields and four times higher than the average of 28,479 annual burns from 2008 to 2020.

With information from EFE