The flames, fed by the strong mistral wind, devoured Sardinia .
From San Priamo to Capoterra, from Muravera to Villaputzu up to Gairo, there are several fires, all of vast proportions, which broke out between yesterday evening and last night on the island.
The situation is now under control on all fronts, but the alert remains high throughout the day today. In fact, a Forestry helicopter recently departed from the Marganai base to stem another fire front, which developed in the morning in the Santadi countryside .
Muravera
"Dramatic night" in Muravera, explains Mayor Salvatore Piu in a statement. A violent fire "literally devastated the locality of Feraxi ", where " 4 farms were literally destroyed by the fire which engulfed the accumulated forage reserves".
Again: " Renown citrus groves and a model farm, visited every year by numerous school groups, were also destroyed ". The flames, continues the mayor, have also threatened some accommodation facilities that have been evacuated . Firefighters, forestry and forestas officers, volunteers, helicopters from the regional fire-fighting system and Canadair were on site.
The situation now seems under control, but the damage is enormous and the municipality is ready to proclaim a state of natural disaster.
“There are no absolute certainties but I find it hard to believe that the fires were caused by self-combustion – explains the mayor -. One thing is certain: the damage is very serious for our territory, a wound that will not be easy to heal. We will proclaim a state of calamity but we will not stop here: the Municipality will present a complaint to the Public Prosecutor's Office against unknown persons . Those responsible for this crime must be severely punished."
Saint Priam
A big fire broke out during the night in San Priamo , a village that is part of the municipality of San Vito.
The fire attacked a large portion of Mediterranean scrub and vegetation , the firefighters and volunteers immediately intervened on the spot, and the air vehicles of the Forestry Corps also arrived in the morning.
Several animals were rescued, a farm in the area was evacuated as a precaution. Here too the situation is under control.
Coral Port
Alarm also in the tourist resort of Porto Corallo , hit by a strong fire in the night: «More fires to devastate our land. On the spot, the few forces available are intervening to stem the flames and avert the worst », writes the mayor of Villaputzu Sandro Porcu on Facebook.
The fire, as the mayor himself said a few hours later, was put out and the area made safe.
Capoterra
A large fire also broke out in Capoterra, in the Santa Rosa area , an area difficult to reach by ground vehicles. The regional fire-fighting planes have arrived here too, and a Canadair is also in action.
This morning, residents of the neighborhood woke up to flames raging behind their homes. Luckily the fire was put out shortly after 10 and the damage could have been much worse given the large amount of vegetation in the area.
Gairo
The flames were also tamed in Gairo , where the aircraft of the Forestry Corps also intervened. The fire broke out yesterday evening on Mount Trunconi , unleashing the wrath of Mayor Sergio Lorrai : «Those who have had the idea of carrying out a gesture like this deserve nothing, except strong and contrary action on the part of those who administer and of all (healthy) citizens. I am writing this today for myself, for the administrators and for all the citizens who contribute to making our country welcoming every day. I will have no mercy. Know it ».
An inferno of fire, a nightmare that ended around 7.30 after the intervention of the aircraft and with the start of the reclamation operations. According to an initial and necessarily provisional estimate , at least 50 hectares of land were burned up .
Roberto Marino Marceddu, who was mayor of Gairo from 2000 to 2015, was also enraged: «We had spent over 2 million euros to arrange greenery and curb the hydrogeological instability on that side with various plantings, all in ashes for years now , ever since I was the mayor myself. Evidently, some like to have landslides and floods overhead! I believe that whoever commits this filth on time, deliberately or lightly, should be condemned socially, without discounts. Trusting that sometimes the police forces responsible for this purpose will sometimes do their duty. Because everyone knows that certain activities cannot be carried out in the burnt areas».
The commissioner
The intervention of the Regional Councilor for the Environment Marco Porcu : Tonight, Sardinia had to fight on several fronts to stop the fury of the fire, started by some criminals, at sunset, at the most critical moment for any fire engine . In Gairo, only the providential intervention, throughout the night, by the Forestry Corps, the Forestas Agency, the Civil Protection, the volunteers, the barracks, the Fire Brigade and all the municipal institutions prevented the worst. For now, all the fires are extinguished and being reclaimed: but attention remains maximum, even for today, Sardinia is almost entirely colored red ».
(Unioneonline/L)