The fire in the Centovalli spread to two vacation homes overnight from Thursday to Friday. The buildings are destroyed, the commander of the Locarno fire department told Keystone-ATS.
As the Centovalli aqueduct is empty, water is lacking to put out the fire. Helicopters are due to take it to Lake Maggiore, said Chief Operating Officer Tiziano Guarisco. Eight helicopters were in action on Friday, assisted by fire trucks.
The fire broke out on Wednesday. Two people were evacuated for safety reasons. The railway line and the road in the Centovalli are closed, cantonal police told Keystone-ATS.
great drought
Already at the end of January, a large forest fire had raged in Ticino. It had taken firefighters more than two weeks to put out this disaster at Monte Gambarogno. The fire had been caused by an imprudence: two young men had not extinguished their campfire correctly. The two German-speaking Swiss must answer for arson by negligence.
It hasn’t really rained in the canton since last November. Winter 2021/22 is expected to be one of the driest since measurements began. Some municipalities have called on citizens to use water sparingly and to postpone non-urgent cleaning and watering work.