thousand tourists evacuated from the village –

A huge fire fueled by the wind. Hours of great apprehension in Vieste, in Puglia on the Gargano. The municipality has ordered the evacuation of the village Baia dei Campi, seriously threatened by the fire that broke out this morning in the woods of Baia San Felice. The evacuated tourists are said to be around a thousand. Some will be hosted in two villages distant from the fire, others in a gym set up by the Puglia municipality while the extinguishing operations by the firefighters, Arif and civil protection continue. Also in action are two Canadairs and a helicopter, which are carrying out water and retardant liquid drops.

The mayor of Vieste, Giuseppe Nobiletti, revealed that it is “the fifth attempt at arson in a week and this morning they succeeded”. “Since this morning I have been here on site, at Baia San Felice to monitor the fire that, unfortunately, is once again affecting this area. We are constantly monitoring the situation and all the inter-forces are working tirelessly to secure the area”, said the mayor who confirmed that “as a precaution, the structures of Baia dei Campi have been evacuated. This decision was made due to the possible spillover of the fire in that direction, to guarantee the safety of all tourists and operators and to prevent any risks related to unforeseen situations. However, the situation is being monitored carefully and is under control for now”.