Palermo homes evacuated as fires spread
Authorities have evacuated multiple properties in Palermo as raging wildfires, believed to have started intentionally, and fanned by the powerful ‘Sirocco’ winds, continue to spread across several parts of Sicily.
The fires have forced the closure of several motorways and highways across the affected areas. “The A20 motorway between Palermo and Messina was shut down to the wildfires that are also threatening several buildings and hotels in the area. The 113 state highway between Lascari and Cefalù was also closed. Some 50 nursery-school children were overcome by fumes from a fire on Monte Caputo at Monreale near Palermo and taken to hospital, while the school was evacuated,” ANSA reported.
Sicily’s President Rosario Crocetta told reporters that he believed the fires were started by organized crime.
“How do you explain a blazing fire in Cefalù [on Wednesday night,] when the temperature was [only] 24 degrees?
“Of course, the heat and wind then play their part. I do not have proof, but I suspect criminals were responsible because they always affect the most valuable areas around Palermo,”he said.
Fire Earth 