Fire in the Gargano: tourists evacuated by coastguard boats

Tourists fleeing the beaches along the coast between Peschici and Vieste, on the Gargano, are being evacuated onto coastguard vessels, where a major fire has been raging since late this morning, having also reached areas close to the sea. The municipality of Peschici has announced that ‘the primary school building on Via Montesanto has been opened to accommodate anyone in need of assistance or a safe place’.

The fire, which broke out in Pile Fraballe – a rural area near Difesa di Manaccora – is reported to have spread as far as the Zaiana Bay area, along the same stretch of the Gargano coast road. The wind has fanned the flames. Fire brigade tankers are currently operating at the scene, alongside civil protection personnel. The emergency services’ efforts are said to have contained the fire, though it persists in an area that is causing some concern. An aerial firefighting aircraft has been requested.

Due to the fire on the Vieste–Peschici coastal road, there are some changes to the local public transport service, according to an announcement by Ferrovie del Gargano. Specifically, the Provincial Road 52 coastal road is closed, with buses being diverted onto the State Road 89. Services from Vieste to Peschici and from Peschici to Vieste will follow the inland road (SS 89) up to a certain point, before rejoining the coastal road after the Santa Maria stop, whilst the stops at Manaccore are temporarily suspended and will not be served until normal traffic conditions are restored. The fires, it is reported, are also affecting the area around Cagnano Varano, where – according to Anas – a section of State Road 693 ‘Dei Laghi di Lesina e Varano’ is temporarily closed from km 29.600 to km 27,000.

A number of fires are affecting the coast of Basso Molise, right on the border with the Gargano, where a large blaze is currently raging. Tourists have been evacuated from campsites and beach resorts. Twenty-one elderly residents of the Villa San Gerardo care home have been moved to the church and parish premises. State Road 16 and the Adriatic railway line have been closed. The flames, fuelled by the heat and strong south-westerly winds, have engulfed the natural vegetation, spreading rapidly towards residential and tourist areas and causing disruption to rail and road traffic due to the tall plumes of smoke. The same situation is affecting several homes, forcing families to leave their homes. Hundreds of passengers have been stranded for hours at Termoli railway station (Campobasso) due to the fire that broke out in Campomarino Lido, which has forced the suspension of services between Termoli and Campomarino on the Pescara–Foggia line.

A bushfire has affected an area of around 100 hectares in the Crotonese region, with several fronts still active and fire-fighting operations continuing round the clock. The Crotone Fire Brigade is operating at the scene with a fire-fighting operations commander, two teams from the Command and the Cirò Marina Detachment, and a vehicle dedicated to fighting woodland fires. Two teams of civil protection volunteers from Cirò Marina are also on hand to provide support.