Ischia: A flare turns the night into hell at Maronti: 18 hectares in ashes, and the person responsible is brought to justice.

Ischia – An evening of religious celebrations and seaside festivities turned into one of the most serious environmental emergencies in recent years for the island of Ischia. Between September 30th and the following day, a devastating fire raged on the hill behind Maronti beach, devouring approximately 18 hectares of Mediterranean scrub and threatening several private buildings and homes.

The anomalous launch from the bay

The reconstruction of events traces the fire back to the celebrations in honor of Saint Michael in Sant'Angelo. Investigations conducted by the Carabinieri Forestry Unit together with officers from the local station—and confirmed by initial testimonies from staff at accommodation facilities—have revealed that the fire was caused by the explosion of a flare launched from a small boat moored in the water off the coast.

Instead of rising vertically, the object took off on an anomalous, almost horizontal trajectory, eventually landing in the dry vegetation beyond the Maronti parking area, near the Peppino Organic Farm.

Night of fear and flames near the houses

Within moments, aided by the dryness of the soil and the area's rugged topography, the fire spread upward along the ridge. As darkness fell, extinguishing operations proved extremely complex. The fire continued to advance relentlessly for hours, reaching the perimeter walls of several private properties and stopping just outside the mayor's residence in Barano. This detail highlights how close the disaster came to turning into a tragedy for the residents.

The intervention at dawn and the toll of the fire

Only at first light, with the massive deployment of forces on the ground—Firefighters, Civil Protection, forest firefighting teams from the Mountain Community, and the decisive assistance of air forces—was the fire contained and finally extinguished. The final outcome is a profound wound to the local ecosystem: 18 hectares of hilly land completely burned to the ground.

Panic and surrender to the Carabinieri

The person responsible for the act, panicking immediately after realizing the disaster he had unleashed, spontaneously presented himself the following morning at the Barano Carabinieri station to reconstruct the incident and take responsibility. He was subsequently charged with forest fires. The incident dramatically reignites the debate on the danger and recklessness associated with the unprepared use of pyrotechnics and signaling equipment in vulnerable natural areas.