Fires in Sicily (IMAGE)
Caption
The UK's Daily Telegraph reports around 900 holidaymakers from Italy and abroad were moved from hotels and camping areas as the fire hit the Zingaro National Park on the island's northwest tip overlooking the Tyrrhenian Sea. Firefighters, forest patrols and volunteers worked for 12 hours to bring the fire under control and a school was opened in San Vito Lo Capo to house evacuees while others slept outdoors in the stifling heat. The UPI says the mayor of San Vito Lo Capo commented that the nearby Zingaro nature reserve "has gone up in smoke." While the fire was reported under control, officials said that was only because the fire had burned itself out. Italy's hot, dry weather, with temperatures reaching 104 degrees Fahrenheit in parts of Sicily, 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, a forestry official said.
Credit
Image: Jeff Schmaltz, NASA Goddard MODIS Rapid Response Team; Caption: Lynn Jenner, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
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