Italy firefighters battle overnight to extinguish 500 blazes amid extreme heatwave

On Thursday, the Firefighters in Italy said that they had confronted nearly more than 500 flames throughout the night. They further said that there is another confirmed report of fatality which is bringing the total number of people killed by wildfires in Italy to four from the last week. 

An anticyclone which is known as Lucifer coming up from Africa is now moving through Italy. This is further directing the temperatures higher and setting a new European temperature record of 48.8 degrees Celsius in Sicily on Wednesday. 

In summer 2021, southern Europe witnessed strong heatwaves and wildfires across several places. As a result, deaths were reported in Greece and Turkey. While on the other hand, scientists are warning that climate change could increase the severity and frequency of such extreme weather events. 

It is expected that this scorching heat will pursue for many days more in Italy. This will escalate the risk of these frequent blazes, which have already ravaged most of the country's south in previous weeks, particularly in Sicily and Calabria. 

Information about deceased in Italy wildfires 

According to news reports, on Wednesday, the charred body of a 79-year-old man was discovered in the Reggio Calabria area.  Another man, aged 77, perished in the same location after attempting to save his flock from the fire. Yet another incident was reported of a 53-year-old mother and her 35-year-old nephew, both from Reggio Calabria, who died last Friday while attempting to rescue the family olive orchard. 

On Thursday morning, the fire department registered 528 operations where Italian firefighters have engaged in the previous 12 hours, with 230 alone in Sicily. Currently, with the efforts of the firefighters, the situation is under control, notably near Palermo in the Madonie mountain range. 

As a result of the Italian wildfires, regional authorities in Sicily have issued a state of emergency in which 50 firefighting teams of volunteers from across Italy have flown in to assist in the combat. Calabria's fire department recorded 100 calls for assistance overnight, with particularly severe wildfires in the region of Reggio Calabria, Catanzaro, and Cosenza. 

Describing an anticyclone which is a high-pressure system that delivers dry, extreme heat in the summer.  In the Mediterranean, flames have also ravaged Algeria. This has prompted the North African country to declare three days of mourning on Thursday as the death toll reached 69.  

Previously, talking about the blaze that terrified Turkey, for five days, firefighters battled over 100 fires that have been later extinguished. 

(Image Credit: Representative Image)