A forest fire above Verdasio TI in the Centovalli that has been raging since Wednesday has spread further on Friday night. In the meantime there is a fire on an area of around 50 hectares, says the operations manager of the Locarno fire brigade when asked by Keystone-SDA. Two cottages burned down.
The fire moved in the direction of Monte di Comino during the night, explains operations manager Tiziano Guarisco. The area affected by the fire has increased by five to six hectares since Thursday evening.
Eight helicopters in action
Heavy smoke obstructed visibility on Friday morning and made extinguishing work difficult, Guarisco says. Due to the persistent drought in Ticino, everything burns extremely quickly and develops heavy smoke. Early on Friday morning, the dense cloud of smoke might be seen over the valley all the way to Locarno.
Because the Centovalli aqueduct is empty, there is now no water to extinguish the fire. That’s why the helicopters have to transport water from Lake Maggiore to the hills, says Guarisco. Eight fire-fighting helicopters are in action on Friday. Fire trucks might bring more water into the valley.
Two people evacuated
Two people have been evacuated for safety reasons. According to the Ticino canton police, the railway line and road in the Centovalli are closed.
A large forest fire was already raging in Ticino at the end of January. It took the fire department more than two weeks to do it Fire at Monte Gambarogno to delete. The fire was caused by carelessness: two young men had not properly extinguished their campfire. The two Swiss-Germans have to answer for negligent arson.
It hasn’t really rained in the southern canton since last November. The winter of 2021/22 is likely to be one of the driest since measurements began. Some municipalities are asking citizens to use water sparingly and not to postpone urgent cleaning and watering work. (SDA/noo)
