Wildfires kill at least two in southern Italy

Summer is the season for wildfires in Italy, sometimes caused by people carelessly flinging cigarette butts into dry brush. Surprisingly, in this region, willfully started fires are not uncommon. It has not been confirmed, but suspicions have arisen about the fires and their possible link to land developers wanting to illegally clear land for future projects.

This business practice, if indeed the cause, cost an elderly brother and sister their lives as they were found burnt to death in their car not far from where the fire started.

The fire moved quickly across the coast in the Puglia region and bathers, tourists and villagers alike fled for the sea to escape the flames. It was reported that two people died of asphyxiation but this later could not be confirmed.

Emergency services had 4,000 people to whisk away to safety and the flames threated nearby structures and hotels. Houses in the village of Peschici narrowly escaped serious damage, as did many camping grounds.