Fires on the Amalfi Coast, arson alert: "Fires started in multiple locations"

The fire front between two coasts. A night of fire has severely tested the Amalfi Coast and the Sorrento Peninsula. The flames, fanned by gusts of wind, affected a broad front between Positano, Amalfi, Agerola, and the Vico Equense area, affecting several stretches of Mediterranean scrub.

The fire spread across multiple areas, including Tordigliano, Monte Comune, and Arola, reaching the Sorrento side. This emergency required the intervention of firefighting teams and aircraft: two Canadairs and helicopters were involved in the extinguishing operations.

The weather conditions and the rugged nature of the slopes made the work particularly complex, hindering the work of the teams on the ground.

The suspect: "It could be arson."

Positano's mayor, Gabriella Guida, has openly spoken of a possible arsonist origin, emphasizing that the current hypothesis is that the fire was intentionally started.

"The hypothesis is that it was started deliberately," declared the mayor, highlighting the difficulties caused by strong winds during the extinguishing operations.

Of particular concern, according to the mayor, was the area between Positano and Vico Equense. Only in the coming weeks and months will it be possible to fully understand the extent of the damage caused by the flames.

"Centuries-old trees went up in flames," Guida explained, "so I fear a major hydrogeological disaster that we'll only know about in the future."

Amalfi: "I've never seen anything like this in eleven years."

The situation has also caused great concern in Amalfi. Mayor Daniele Milano said he had never witnessed an emergency of this magnitude in his eleven years at the helm of the administration.

“I don’t know who is behind these fires, but they are definitely not natural fires,” he said.

During the night, the flames reached close to homes. Fortunately, no damage was reported to people or homes, although gardens and agricultural terraces were affected.

Agerola, precautionary evacuations

The fire also affected the Agerola area, where some homes were evacuated as a precaution. Deputy Mayor Luca Mascolo described it as a possible "criminal act," emphasizing the gravity of what happened.

According to the administration, dozens of hectares of Mediterranean scrub were destroyed. The flames also affected homes and accommodations.

"If the attack is confirmed to be malicious, whoever committed it has endangered people, homes, and an already fragile area," Mascolo declared.

The fear is that the problem won't end once the fires are extinguished. The loss of vegetation could make the slopes even more vulnerable, increasing the risk of landslides during future rainfall.

Roads closed and traffic changed

The emergency also affected traffic. A section of the Amalfi Coast State Road 163 was closed in both directions, between Piano di Sorrento and Vico Equense.

In Amalfi, the provincial road, the former Agerolina state road, remains closed, preventing Sita buses from reaching Agerola. For light traffic, it is possible to use the San Pancrazio road, which leads from Conca dei Marini to the Amalfi state road.

The road in Positano was also closed for safety reasons, while operations focused on the seaward side.

The situation is improving, now the remediation

In the evening, according to updates from the fire brigade, the situation appeared to be improving.

On the Amalfi Coast side, the fire has been substantially extinguished, and the main intervention by ground teams has concluded. However, cleanup operations to remove any remaining embers and ash remain necessary.

Even in the Agerola area, behind Positano, the fire is considered extinguished, while the Canadairs continued to carry out water drops on the areas from which smoke was still coming.

Legambiente: "The fire cannot be a fatality."

Legambiente Campania also intervened in the case, through its president Mariateresa Imparato, who expressed "concern and outrage" over the devastation caused by the flames.

"The fire that threatens our region's natural heritage cannot be considered a fatality," Imparato emphasized, warning that speculative interests could also be behind the fires.

For Legambiente, the fight against forest fires must be based on four pillars: prevention, detection, monitoring, and active control.

The association also calls for greater integration between forest fire prevention plans, forest management plans, and climate change adaptation strategies, as well as timely updating the register of fire-affected areas.

This step is considered essential to prevent the destruction caused by the flames from creating opportunities for speculative activity.

The final balance is yet to be quantified

The damage picture, therefore, is not yet definitive. While the immediate emergency appears to be coming to an end, the environmental impact of the destruction of vegetation remains to be assessed.

And this is precisely what most worries local administrators: the risk that the consequences of the fires could manifest themselves even after some time, especially on the most fragile slopes of the coast.