Naples – After five days of fires and recurrent outbreaks, Vesuvius National Park is breathing again. The flames, which since August 8th have devastated the natural heritage of the volcano, the symbol of the Gulf of Naples, were declared extinguished yesterday.
In addition to the tireless work on the ground and in the air, the exceptional hailstorm that hit the Vesuvian towns on August 12th was also decisive.
The rescue car
For four days, Canadair aircraft and helicopters from the Campania Region dropped thousands of liters of fire extinguishing liquid, while firefighters, civil defense, law enforcement, the army, local police, and dozens of volunteers operated on the ground.
A mobilization similar to that of 2017, when an equally devastating fire had hit the same area.
After the state of emergency was declared, teams of volunteers arrived from other regions to support the operations. "The Vesuvius network that was created in 2017 worked," they say. "The support of the guides, associations, and volunteers was crucial."
It's not over: cleanup and investigations
The fire emergency is formally over, but work continues. Trails remain to be cleared, the affected areas monitored, and the environmental impact assessed. Two prosecutors' offices are investigating to identify those responsible.
In Campania, the state of "serious fire danger" will remain in effect until September 30th, with high alert levels at least until October. Volunteers have already conducted new inspections in the park this morning.
The appeal of the volunteers
Now "phase two" begins, and the volunteers are asking to be actively involved: "We've put all our energy into the emergency," they explain, "but now we want to be heard. We're asking for a joint meeting that will take into account our proposals to avoid further disasters."
It's a bit sad that there have been such devastating fires, especially in such a beautiful place as Vesuvius. We hope the investigations can lead to something positive and that future disasters can be prevented.