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26 July 2024
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Two firefighters killed in Italy as southern Europe swelters in a heat wave
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A heat wave across southern Europe forced authorities in Greece to close the Acropolis Wednesday, 17 July 2024, for several hours and two firefighters died while putting out a fire in the Basilicata region in southern Italy, Italian authorities said. The two firefighters died on Wednesday while battling a wildfire near the southern Italian city of Matera, Italy's fire and rescue service said on X. "This afternoon, during operations to fight a wildfire, two firefighters lost their lives," it said.
The two firefighters died falling from a cliff whilst trying to save a family from a house which had caught fire in Nova Siri, officials from the region of Basilicata have said. Giuseppe Lasalata and Antonio Martino, both 45, had been trying to reach an inhabited house in Contrada Cozzuolo in Nova Siri, which was surrounded by burning vegetation. The firefighters, who had arrived from Policoro, fell from a cliff and were then engulfed in flames. The two bodies have now been recovered.
“They wanted to save a family, and their house, which was in danger of the flames,” the mayor of Nova Siri, Antonello Mele said, “They behaved like heroes.”
“In these painful circumstances, I would like to express my solidarity with the National Fire Brigade Corps,” President Sergio Mattarella said from Brazil.
Matteo Piantedosi, the Interior Minister, also offered his condolences. “I am deeply saddened for the two firefighters who died.”
“As soon as I learnt of the tragic deaths of the two firefighters, I went to the site, accompanied by the head of the regional civil protection society, Giovanni di Bello,” President of the Basilicata Region, Vito Bardi, said.
“This news shocks me, because two men lost their lives whilst carrying out their work. We are waiting to understand the dynamics of what happened from the firefighters themselves. However, I’d like to express my sympathy and condolences to the families of the two firemen.”
Rome
Rome city hall said another "vast" fire had broken out near the city and advised inhabitants within three kilometres of the fire to keep their windows closed and avoid physical activity outdoors.
Small wildfires have been breaking out on an almost daily basis in Italy, particularly in the south and on its islands, amid a heatwave. A fire near Rome on Tuesday interrupted rail connections between the Italian capital and the southern city of Naples.
Italy added Palermo, Sicily, to the list of 13 cities in the country with a severe heat warning. Elderly people in the city of Verona were urged to stay indoors, while sprinklers were set up to cool passersby.
Greece’s Culture Ministry ordered the closure of the Acropolis, the country’s biggest cultural attraction, from midday for five hours.
Tourists hoping to visit the Parthenon temple atop the Acropolis queued early in the morning to beat the worst of the heat, while the Red Cross handed chilled bottled water and information fliers to those waiting in line.
Meteorologists said the hot air from Africa was forecast to continue through Sunday, with heat wave temperatures expected to peak at 43 degrees Celsius.
In Albania, the heat led the government to reschedule working hours for civil servants, making it easier for some to work from home. Neighbouring North Macedonia struggled with dozens of wildfires that had broken out in the previous 24 hours. One major blaze stretched across nearly 30 kilometres. Firefighting aircraft from Serbia, Montenegro, Croatia, Romania and Turkey responded to the country’s call for assistance.
In western Turkey, firefighters, aided by more than a dozen water-dropping aircraft, managed to bring a wildfire near the town of Bergama under control several hours after it ignited. The cause of the fire, which was fanned by strong winds, was not immediately known.
The municipality of Turkey’s largest city Istanbul issued a heat warning on Tuesday, saying temperatures would rise between 3-6 degrees Celsius above seasonal norms until July 28.
Several Spanish cities, including Granada and Toledo, are bracing for temperatures as high as 44 degrees Celsius forecast for later in the week in the country’s hottest spots in the south.
Source: Vigili del Fuoco, The Italian Insider, Associated Press, Barron’s
The two firefighters died falling from a cliff whilst trying to save a family from a house which had caught fire in Nova Siri, officials from the region of Basilicata have said. Giuseppe Lasalata and Antonio Martino, both 45, had been trying to reach an inhabited house in Contrada Cozzuolo in Nova Siri, which was surrounded by burning vegetation. The firefighters, who had arrived from Policoro, fell from a cliff and were then engulfed in flames. The two bodies have now been recovered.
“They wanted to save a family, and their house, which was in danger of the flames,” the mayor of Nova Siri, Antonello Mele said, “They behaved like heroes.”
“In these painful circumstances, I would like to express my solidarity with the National Fire Brigade Corps,” President Sergio Mattarella said from Brazil.
Matteo Piantedosi, the Interior Minister, also offered his condolences. “I am deeply saddened for the two firefighters who died.”
“As soon as I learnt of the tragic deaths of the two firefighters, I went to the site, accompanied by the head of the regional civil protection society, Giovanni di Bello,” President of the Basilicata Region, Vito Bardi, said.
“This news shocks me, because two men lost their lives whilst carrying out their work. We are waiting to understand the dynamics of what happened from the firefighters themselves. However, I’d like to express my sympathy and condolences to the families of the two firemen.”
Rome
Rome city hall said another "vast" fire had broken out near the city and advised inhabitants within three kilometres of the fire to keep their windows closed and avoid physical activity outdoors.
Small wildfires have been breaking out on an almost daily basis in Italy, particularly in the south and on its islands, amid a heatwave. A fire near Rome on Tuesday interrupted rail connections between the Italian capital and the southern city of Naples.
Italy added Palermo, Sicily, to the list of 13 cities in the country with a severe heat warning. Elderly people in the city of Verona were urged to stay indoors, while sprinklers were set up to cool passersby.
Greece’s Culture Ministry ordered the closure of the Acropolis, the country’s biggest cultural attraction, from midday for five hours.
Tourists hoping to visit the Parthenon temple atop the Acropolis queued early in the morning to beat the worst of the heat, while the Red Cross handed chilled bottled water and information fliers to those waiting in line.
Meteorologists said the hot air from Africa was forecast to continue through Sunday, with heat wave temperatures expected to peak at 43 degrees Celsius.
In Albania, the heat led the government to reschedule working hours for civil servants, making it easier for some to work from home. Neighbouring North Macedonia struggled with dozens of wildfires that had broken out in the previous 24 hours. One major blaze stretched across nearly 30 kilometres. Firefighting aircraft from Serbia, Montenegro, Croatia, Romania and Turkey responded to the country’s call for assistance.
In western Turkey, firefighters, aided by more than a dozen water-dropping aircraft, managed to bring a wildfire near the town of Bergama under control several hours after it ignited. The cause of the fire, which was fanned by strong winds, was not immediately known.
The municipality of Turkey’s largest city Istanbul issued a heat warning on Tuesday, saying temperatures would rise between 3-6 degrees Celsius above seasonal norms until July 28.
Several Spanish cities, including Granada and Toledo, are bracing for temperatures as high as 44 degrees Celsius forecast for later in the week in the country’s hottest spots in the south.
Source: Vigili del Fuoco, The Italian Insider, Associated Press, Barron’s