An Italian film crew has completely lost control of a fire they started for an episode of a series regarding civil protection. Result: half of the vegetation on the island where the filming took place was destroyed, various European media report.
The production of the series “Protezione Civile” (Civil Protection), filmed for Italian public television, had settled on the small volcanic island of Stromboli, near Sicily. Ironically, the series is inspired by the Italian civil protection, which is responsible for protecting the population from natural disasters.
However, on May 26, members of the technical team went to the volcano to light a small fire there, which they had to keep under control and extinguish quickly.
Unfortunately, things turned out rather badly. The sirocco, a very hot and dry wind, blew on the embers and helped spread the flames over much of the island.
Six hectares of maquis, or regarding half of the island’s vegetation, were razed by the fire which raged for a day and a night.
The island’s fire station was engulfed in flames, a restaurant had to be evacuated and around 50 residents were forced from their homes.
Fortunately, the fire did not cause any deaths. The inhabitants of the island are nevertheless furious once morest the production.
“But how might they start a fire when the sirocco was blowing. How can someone who shoots a fiction on Civil Protection not know it? ”, declared the mayor of a neighboring island in an interview with the Italian media Corierre della Sera.
An investigation has been opened by a prosecutor, but the Italian public television, RAI, rejects any responsibility. Rather, it blames the production company responsible for the series.