Fierce fires in Messina, firefighters tirelessly working

Last Updated: August 28, 2023

Since midnight, the fire brigade in Messina has been engaged in extinguishing vegetation and forest fires, mainly in the areas of Raccuja, Furnari, Gioiosa marea, Ficarra, Sant’Agata Militello, Barcellona P.G., Mazzarà Sant’Andrea, as well as Francavilla Moio and Taormina. There are currently 20 fires active. In addition, two Canadair planes are conducting water drops in the Colli Sarrizzo area. At 10:55 am, a team from the Messina command, with a pickup truck and a tanker fire engine, was sent to reinforce the firefighting teams in Palermo due to numerous intervention requests for fires in that province. The massive use of five Canadair planes has helped bring the extensive fire under control, which had created an emergency situation in Messina for hours and had caused concern for citizens near Torrente Catarratti. The synergy between ground teams and aerial resources has been crucial. In Salemi, the fire around Monte Polizzo has been contained and does not seem to cause particular alarm. The situation overall appears to be improving, although there are still active fires in some areas of the island, the latest being in the Calatino area, fueled by strong winds. National and regional aerial resources have been relocated to other targets due to this reason. Currently, there are a total of 22 fires ongoing: two in Agrigento, four in Caltanissetta and Catania, one in Enna and Palermo, seven in Messina, and three in Trapani. There are three Canadair planes and three helicopters in action.