Mayor declares fire in Castellammare as intentional act

Last Updated: March 12, 2024

L’incendio di Castellammare, il sindaco: «Matrice dolosa»

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Mayor of Castellammare Giuseppe Fausto believes that the fire that devastated 350 hectares of forest and Mediterranean scrubland was “intentional”. The reasoning behind this is that the fire, which spread leaving no room for intervention until after 15 hours of continuous work by men and resources, started from three different points. While firefighters, forestry workers, civil protection volunteers, and law enforcement were busy extinguishing one area affected by the flames, they also had to deal with two other points of ignition simultaneously, which then caused irreparable damage to the economy and environment of a territory that was already plagued by summer fires.

The strong scirocco wind certainly helped the possible human hand, but this also happens in summer. Arsonists enjoy burning knowing that they will find the right conditions to make it difficult for those operating on the ground and that in any case, aircraft will not be able to intervene. The area affected by the flames has been cleared and now investigations have begun. In Trapani Prosecutor’s Office, an investigative pool has been set up with a strategy that combines prevention and repression against fires.

(A complete article by Laura Spanò in the Giornale di Sicilia, available today)