3 days ago
How badly is Italy being affected by wildfires this summer?
With firefighters struggling to contain a forest blaze that's already forced the evacuation of around 5,000 people from hotels and homes on the Greek island of Crete, many people planning to travel to Italy this summer have expressed concerns about the risk of wildfires amid scorching temperatures.
Italy is known to experience devastating fires during its hot summer months, especially in southern regions, where dry turf and vegetation and temperatures nearing 40C cause the flames to spread rapidly.
According to a report by Greenpeace Italy and the Italian Society of Silviculture and Forest Ecology (SISEF), over four million hectares of land were affected by wildfires between 1980 and 2018 – a yearly average of nearly 107,000 hectares (roughly the size of the entire city of Rome).
Though 2024 saw fewer wildfires compared to previous years, a total area of 514 square kilometres across 16 Italian regions was burned up by blazes, according to data from Italy's National Institute for Environmental Protection and Research (ISPRA).
What about this year?
Italy has seen little in the way of devastating wildfires so far in 2025.
Between January 1st and June 9th, blazes burned a total of 34 square kilometres around Italy, with almost 70 percent of the affected area located in the southern Calabria region.
But as an extreme heatwave continues to grip most of Italy, some of the country's hottest and driest regions have seen their first wildfire outbreaks in recent days.
Five major fires broke out on the outskirts of Rome on Monday, June 30th.
The most serious blaze affected a field in Ponte Galeria, near the city's Fiumicino airport, forcing the temporary suspension of rail services on the Orte-Fiumicino line, as well as hours-long road closures in sections of the A12 and A91 motorways.
Roma Mayor Roberto Gualtieri said that local authorities were 'continuously monitoring' the situation across the capital to 'prevent and mitigate wildfires during the summer season' and punish people who don't comply with wildfire-prevention guidelines.
A spate of wildfires also broke out across the southern Campania region on Monday, with the most serious blazes affecting the provinces of Caserta, Naples and Salerno.
A total of 160 separate firefighting operations were conducted to put out the flames in the region, according to Italian media reports.
Sardinia has also experienced several wildfires in recent days.
Flights to and from Alghero Airport were temporarily suspended on Monday after a major blaze broke out outside the town of Santa Maria La Palma.
Other fires occurred in the rural area around Ozieri, Muros and Ittiri, all located in the Sassari province.
So what can we expect going forward?
July and August are generally the months with the highest number of wildfires in Italy, as dry turf and scorching heat favour the spread of blazes.
Only a small proportion of fires have natural causes, with the majority linked to intentional human actions or negligence.
As peak wildfire season approaches, regions including Campania and Puglia have recently launched prevention plans aimed at bolstering fire service departments and improving firefighting equipment and vehicles.
Liguria's Civil Protection Department said earlier this week that the entire region will be placed under a severe wildfire risk warning from midnight on Saturday, July 5th.
The move came after Italy's fire service warned of 'meteorological and climatic conditions favourable to the outbreak and spread of wildfires' across the region.
Italy's Civil Protection has also recently urged regional and provincial authorities to draw up wildfire prevention measures to 'ensure the safety of citizens' over the summer.
What are the most at-risk areas in Italy?
Sicily, Calabria, Sardinia and Campania are regarded by experts as Italy's most at-risk regions when it comes to wildfires.
According to Greenpeace Italy, the four regions accounted for around 85 percent of the total area affected by wildfires in summer 2024.
Lazio, Tuscany, Puglia, Basilicata and Liguria are also known to regularly experience major blazes during the summer.
