Wildfires raging in Italy, prompt evacuations

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Rome, Aug 3 (IANS) Wildfires are raging in southern and central Italy amid sweltering temperatures and hot winds, prompting authorities to issue evacuation orders, the National Fire Corps said.

The wildfire have destroyed a 53-acre nature reserve near Pescara, a city in the central Abruzzo region whose Adriatic Sea coast is a popular summer resort area, reports Xinhua news agency.

About 800 people were evacuated from the Pescara area on Monday and 30 people suffered from smoke inhalation as flames reached the seashore, destroying some beach resorts, RAI public broadcaster reported, posting video footages of the charred remains of trees, beach furniture and infrastructure.

This follows on the evacuation of "over 100 people from homes, two convents and two beach resorts" on Sunday, according to the National Fire Corps.

Fires were also raging on Monday in the southern Puglia region, where "243 interventions are underway to fight forest fires", it said.

"The teams have been at work for four days (in Puglia), where the flames have devoured 350 hectares of vegetation," the Corps added.

The southern Puglia region at the tip of Italy's boot is renowned for its beaches and architectural beauty, which attract domestic and international tourists in summer.

In the southern Molise region lying between Abruzzo and Puglia on the Adriatic Sea, "20 hectares of forest are on fire", according to the National Fire Corps.

Firefighters have been engaged in a total of "37,407 operations to fight forest fires since June 15, of which 717 interventions were carried out in the past 24 hours to tackle the emergency across the south-central regions".

In a tweet on Monday, the Interior Ministry expressed its thanks to "the women and men of the National Fire Corps who are fighting forest fires across the national territory".

--IANS

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