by David Lindfield
Raging wildfires have torn across Italy’s famed Amalfi Coast, forcing precautionary evacuations, frightening tourists, and prompting local officials to raise suspicions that the blazes were deliberately set as part of a coordinated arson attack.
Firefighters battled flames across the iconic Mediterranean destination after fires erupted Monday evening, threatening areas surrounding Positano, Amalfi, Tovere di Amalfi, and other coastal communities.
Crews worked throughout the night to prevent the flames from reaching homes as strong winds initially prevented helicopters from joining the operation.
No injuries or damage to residential properties were reported.
By morning, firefighting aircraft had joined ground crews as authorities scrambled to contain the flames spreading through scrubland and wooded areas along the Amalfi Coast and Sorrento Peninsula.
Tourists Evacuated as Flames Spread
Italy’s national fire service, Vigili del Fuoco, said emergency crews responded to scrubland fires stretching between Positano, Amalfi, Agerola, and Vico Equense.
Seven ground teams and three aircraft were deployed as part of the operation.
Some restaurants and other facilities in key locations were evacuated as a precaution while the advancing fires caused alarm among tourists staying in one of Italy’s most famous vacation destinations.
The flames ravaged the woods of Tordigliano along the border between the Amalfi Coast and the Sorrento Peninsula, according to Positano Mayor Gabriella Guida.
The fire reached much of the state road, forcing authorities to close it so crews could safely fight the blaze, before flames descended toward Positano.
The fire also threatened mountain hamlets in the Capo d’Acqua area before Montepertuso, between Positano and Santa Maria del Castello.
Mayor Suspects Coordinated Arson
As firefighters fought to bring the emergency under control, Guida raised the possibility that the destruction was not accidental.
The mayor said she believes arson was the likely cause, pointing to fires breaking out at roughly the same time across Vico Equense, Agerola, Amalfi, and Positano.
According to local reports, Guida said the simultaneous outbreaks appeared to indicate a coordinated plan rather than a coincidence.