I will be there. The worst seems to be over. Now, for the citizens of Sarno, in the Salerno area, there remains the fear that the rains could bring back those days of terror in May 1998, when the town in the Sarno-Nocerino area was hit by a mudslide that caused 160 deaths there and in other nearby towns. This is the major concern a few hours after the large fire that broke out late yesterday afternoon near an abandoned rock church on the slopes of the Saretto hill. The fire quickly spread like a fan towards the east and west, destroying a forest that will take at least 40 years to recover. It was a difficult night for the people of Sarno and, in particular, for the 200 citizens who, as a precaution, had to leave their homes. Their homes in the foothills were too close to the flames. Many people found shelter with relatives and friends and about twenty, instead, spent the night inside the 'Baccelli' school, where a first reception center was set up. The Municipality has announced that some have already returned to their homes and others will do so within an hour. Meanwhile, the urban-rural interface fire was put out by 40 firefighters who intervened with 14 fire engines from Salerno, Naples and Avellino and by many Civil Protection personnel who arrived from all over Campania. The area is still under observation and there are still six tankers on site. Since 7am this morning, air vehicles have been in action to complete the extinguishing work in the upper part of the hill. The regional civil protection helicopters are at work and are also awaiting the arrival of the reinforcement of the national air fleet. The tongues of fire that threatened the historic center between 1 and 2 this morning were tamed also thanks to the wind that gave a break. “It is a thousand percent arson,” the mayor of Sarno, Giuseppe Canfora, told Agi, explaining that “Saretto is not a grazing land, it is not attractive from a speculative point of view, it is protected after the events of May 5, 98 and a good part of it is a red zone.” The area affected by the flames is difficult to access for rescue vehicles, so much so that on the slopes, firefighters and volunteers had to resort to manual force, shovels and sand. “After so many years, in an area that is unfortunately already delicate from a hydrogeological point of view, we do not realize the damage that will be caused in the near future”, adds the mayor, underlining that, “now the biggest concern remains the rain”. However, "in the next few days, we will formalize a formal complaint against unknown persons to the Nocera Inferiore prosecutor's office", Canfora announces, hoping that, "from some clue, a more thorough investigation will be opened" and that "these criminals will be locked up". Then the remediation will be started by the Civil Protection and the Civil Engineering Department and, then, he adds, "I will ask for a state of natural disaster and I will urgently ask for funds to secure the entire hill". “The Saretto defended the city centre from the mudslides of 5 May 98 – the mayor recalls – now I wouldn’t want the Saretto itself, in the future, to cause some trouble in the historic centre of the city”. The mayor asked for the intervention of the Army "for a defense and control operation". (sara mareschi)
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