Wildfires: Sicily still in a state of emergency – one fatality, damage in excess of 700 million

One person dead, homes evacuated, infrastructure damaged and the cost continues to rise. The fire emergency shows no sign of letting up in Sicily, even at the start of September. Salvatore Giglia, the 26-year-old who suffered severe burns whilst trying to extinguish the flames that had broken out near his home in Ciminna, died at dawn at the Civico Hospital in Palermo. And whilst the Palermo area mourns the first victim of this new wave of fires, in Taormina the flames have reached residential areas. The fire, which started in the Sant’Antonio district, near a care home, spread to the Zappulla and Tirone districts, threatening homes and forcing the evacuation of several houses. The flames also affected the area around the first rockfall tunnel on Via Garipoli, one of the main access routes to the town from the A18 motorway. Firefighters, the Forestry Corps and the Civil Protection Service have been deployed to the scene, supported by Canadair aircraft and helicopters. The municipal water reservoir in the Tirone district was also severely damaged.

This afternoon, the mayor Cateno De Luca announced that the situation had been brought under control, having described it as a ‘truly tragic’ situation during the most difficult hours. The cause of the fire remains to be established, though the mayor himself has suggested it may have been started deliberately. These latest incidents have exacerbated a situation that was already extremely serious. According to figures presented by the Regional Forestry Corps to the Environment Committee of the Sicilian Regional Assembly (Ars), between July and August, 8,113 fires were recorded in Sicily, an average of around 135 per day. Between Friday and Monday alone, the Fire Service carried out over 800 call-outs, whilst over the weekend the regional authorities recorded 198 fires. Above all, the financial cost is mounting. The latest available assessment, compiled in mid-August, put the initial overall estimate of the impact of the fires at around 629 million euros. This figure comprises approximately 50 million for damage to buildings, businesses and infrastructure, as well as for safety operations; 159 million for damage to farms; 263 million for damage to woodland, natural areas and vegetation; and a further 157 million required for reforestation and safety measures. As of the same date, around 25,000 hectares had been ravaged by fire.

But that picture essentially relates to the fires in July and the first part of August. Since then, the emergency has continued, and the fires of recent days have once again affected farms, the countryside, homes and infrastructure. A conservative projection, taking into account the trend in the second half of the month, now puts the total damage in the region of 700 million. However, this estimate will need to be verified by the regional government: the survey of agricultural holdings was only completed on 31 August and no new consolidated figures have yet been published. Meanwhile, at the end of July, the regional government had allocated the first 25 million, with 15 earmarked for Civil Protection operations and 10 for compensation for agricultural businesses.

The emergency is not confined to Sicily. In Sardinia, the fire that between 28 and 29 August consumed around 300 hectares between Arzana and Elini, in Ogliastra, has reignited, once again requiring the intervention of a Forestry Corps helicopter. Another fire has broken out in the countryside around Giave, in the Sassari area, at a location known as Nuraghe S’Ammuradu, next to a solar farm. In this case too, the fire has reignited on the perimeter already affected by the blazes of 27 and 31 August, and the regional Forestry Corps has responded with a helicopter that took off from the Anela base.