Palermo, the mountain above Mondello burns in the night: a damaged house, families fleeing – VIDEO

Last Updated: July 25, 2023

Palermo, brucia nella notte la montagna sopra Mondello: una casa danneggiata, famiglie in fuga - VIDEO

#Palermo
An fire broke out tonight (July 24) in Monte Gallo, above Mondello, the seaside resort of Palermo. Firefighting teams with the help of a helicopter have responded to the scene. There are also ambulances present. A villa has been damaged by the fire. There is fear for all the houses in the area, particularly those on the higher streets, such as Via Tolomea and Via Pindaro. The flames are also threatening Via Nereo, Vello d’Oro, Delfini, and Terza Compagnia. Some residents have been forced to leave their homes. Police and carabinieri have intervened to guard the endangered areas.

Some people may have felt ill from the smoke. Firefighters, along with volunteers, Civil Protection and forest rangers, are working on the ground to try to contain the fire, which is fueled by the high temperatures reached, as the water bombers cannot intervene in the evenings. There are also several hotspots in the Pizzo Sella area, where some houses have been affected, and since the afternoon, the flames have reached the mountain on the side of the Capo Gallo reserve. The firefront also risks spreading to the Capo Gallo side facing the neighborhood of Sferracavallo, near Barcarello.

The provincial command of the fire department in Palermo is tirelessly working to combat the fires that have been devastating the entire province since this morning. “We will make it through this as well,” they say from the fire operation center, “but today is a very challenging day.” The extremely high temperatures have facilitated the spread of fires, not only in the capital but throughout the province. There are tall flames in Monreale (both in the city and in the San Martino delle Scale district), Piana degli Albanesi, the Fiumetorto railway station, the area around the Bellolampo landfill, and even Belmonte Mezzagno, Cefalù, Aliminusa, Terrasini, Blufi, Misilmeri, Bolognetta, Santa Flavia, Villabate, Partinico, San Cipirello, Corleone, and Termini Imerese. A fire also broke out last night in the Altofonte area, just outside Palermo. About 60 operations have been carried out today, with 15 teams in action and two supporting teams from the Messina and Agrigento commands.

The most critical situations have been reported in the Monreale area, where teams have been engaged since the early hours of last night. In some cases, the evacuation of houses threatened by the flames has been necessary, while others have been completely involved. “Another critical situation that occurred in the early afternoon is the fire at the Bellolampo landfill,” reports the provincial command, “which has affected the fourth pond. There is also a fire in the San Martino delle Scale area (Piano Geli). In these areas, the fire is still ongoing.” All operations are coordinated by the Prefecture, which has established the Coordination Center for Rescue Operations.

To extinguish the fire that broke out in the afternoon near the fourth pond in the waste treatment plant complex in Bellolampo, a large amount of soil is being used. The president of Rap, Giuseppe Todaro, has arrived at the Bellolampo site and, together with the plant area manager Massimo Collesano, is coordinating interventions with Rap operators and technicians. Authorities are asking citizens not to dispose of waste in dumpsters from the next few hours until tomorrow. “For hours,” explains President Todaro, “Rap has been transporting soil using dumpers, and with our excavators in the midst of the fire, we are keeping the affected area of the landfill under control. Unfortunately, the situation is not simple, quite the opposite. The excessive temperatures, in fact, facilitate the ignition of other hotspots, which develop within seconds, making the work of all the operators involved in extinguishing the flames particularly difficult. For this reason, I feel the need to thank those who are currently working in truly prohibitive conditions.”