Over 30 fires raged in Italian forests and fields on Monday and continue to worry authorities and local citizens in various parts of the country.
The wildfires are being fought with helicopters, aeroplanes and firefighting teams on the ground, especially in Sicily, where some of the worse and most fierce blazes are burning. Three people lost their lives, one in Sicily and two in Emilia Romagna.
Authorities in Sicily sent out nine different requests for help from the national Civil Protection Department and the regions of Campania and Lazio have each sent six requests for firefighting aid.
Italy's hot, dry weather, with temperatures reaching 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) in the South, is blamed for many of the fires, with the rest traced to human factors. Half the man-made fires have been caused by accidents and the other half were set deliberately, forestry officials claim.
In Western Sicily, near Trapani, the fire hit the Zingaro National Park on the island's northwest tip overlooking the sea and hundreds of holidaymakers were evacuated from hotels and camping areas as the fire hit the area.
"The Zingaro reserve went up in flames," said Matteo Rizzo, Mayor of San Vito Lo Capo, just north of the park.
He added that damage to the reserve could have been reduced if firefighters had received air support.
He told reporters: "I realise that there were a number of fires in Sicily and the situation was rather serious, but it is inconceivable that one of the most beautiful and oldest reserves in Sicily went up in smoke because no one lifted a finger."
