Italian firefighters and the military on Sunday tackled a wildfire on the flanks of Mount Vesuvius, with all mountain climbing routes up the volcano close to Naples closed to vacationers.
The nationwide hearth service stated it had 12 groups on the bottom and 6 Canadair planes combating the blaze, which has torn by the nationwide park in southern Italy since Friday. The park the place a volcanic eruption buried the traditional metropolis of Pompeii in 79 A.D. is a serious vacationer vacation spot.
“The fireplace-fighting continues ceaselessly on three fronts”, the Campania Area stated in a press release.
Authorities stated the fires are largely on the slopes of the Mount Somma facet of Vesuvius, which is characterised by its dense vegetation.
Salvatore Laporta/KONTROLAB/LightRocket by way of Getty Photographs
The military created a fireplace break and reinforcement firefighters have been introduced in from different areas of Italy, whereas onsite groups used drones to higher monitor the unfold of the hearth, the area and hearth service stated.
The smoke from the hearth may very well be seen from the Pompeii archeological web site, which was buried by Vesuvius’ eruption throughout Roman instances. The location, nonetheless, remained open to vacationers.
The park’s head, Raffaele de Luca, stated the realm affected coated some 500 hectares, or over 1,235 acres.
“For security causes and to facilitate firefighting and cleanup operations within the affected areas, all actions alongside the Vesuvius Nationwide Park path community are suspended till additional discover,” the park stated in a press release Saturday.
Practically 620,000 folks visited the crater of the energetic volcano in 2024, based on the park.
Eliano Imperato/Anadolu by way of Getty Photographs 
Specialists say European international locations have gotten ever extra weak to wildfires as a result of intensifying summer season heatwaves linked to world warming. Components of the continent had recorded its hottest June in latest historical past.
The abnormally scorching climate uncovered thousands and thousands of Europeans to excessive warmth stress with temperatures in June extra typical of July and August, stated Samantha Burgess of the European Heart for Medium-Vary Climate Forecasts.
Final week, France battled what authorities referred to as the nation’s largest wildfire in a long time. About 1,400 firefighters have been deployed Saturday in France’s southern Aude area to forestall it from reigniting, the Related Press reported. Excessive temperatures within the coming days are anticipated to complicate firefighters’ efforts.
On Mount Vesuvius, “the firefighting efforts are notably delicate as a result of each the climate situations — excessive temperatures and wind — and the pine needles, which contribute to the unfold of the flames,” stated Italo Giulivo, head of the area’s civil safety division.
Italy’s largest agricultural affiliation, Coldiretti, stated the fires have been “an infinite catastrophe” for vineyards and farms in an space well-known for its wine, apricots and tomatoes.
The native prosecutors’ workplace has opened an investigation into the origin of the fires.
