Fire on Mount Vesuvius: four days of flames, delays, and controversy

🎬 Watch the video

It is a disaster that surpasses, in size and severity, the one that devastated the Valle dell'Inferno and large areas of vegetation on the slopes of Vesuvius in 2017.

Eight years later, someone has decided to strike again at the heart of the National Park with what, for all intents and purposes, appears to be an attack on the ecosystem.

But it's not just the criminal element that's being blamed: many also believe the authorities' gross underestimation of the emergency is a factor.

Four days without control

The fire, which started on Tuesday in Terzigno pine forest, has never been contained. Canadair, firefighters, and Civil Protection personnel are working tirelessly, but the flames continue to devour hectares of forest in the Lavarella area, near Via Zabatta.

The mayor, forced to intervene as early as Wednesday, issued an order urging residents to exercise extreme caution. It's too late, for many: the environmental group Terzigno Verde points out that "the fires began in July" and that "for weeks we've been warning of the risk of a large-scale fire."

Spontaneous evacuations and slow-motion decisions

This afternoon, aided by the wind, the flames regained strength, rapidly advancing toward homes. Several residents in the pine forest area, near the municipal stadium, chose to leave their homes on their own, without waiting for an official evacuation order, which they fear might come too late.

The slowness in making decisions is already the subject of harsh criticism, with many speaking of "institutional inertia" in a context where every minute counts.

A second front of fire

As if that weren't enough, a new fire has broken out on Via Vecchia Campitelli, near the municipal stadium. Here, as in the pine forest, the flames are visible for kilometers, and the column of smoke rises high, choking the air and making daily life difficult throughout the area.