Ten aircraft combat huge blaze around Vesuvius.
Dozens of firefighters have been battling around the clock to extinguish a major wildfire raging on Mount Vesuvius in Italy’s southern Campania region.
The blaze, which broke out around the volcano a few days ago, had reached a height of 3,000 metres by Saturday afternoon, with flames visible from Naples.
The fire front is about two metres wide and has already destroyed several hundred hectares of woodland, with devastating consequences for biodiversity.
The vast fire has affected in particular the Terzigno pine forest, including the Tirone nature reserve and woodlands near Trecase, Ercolano and Ottaviano.
#Napoli, #incendio vegetazione al Parco Nazionale del #Vesuvio: nella clip le operazioni di spegnimento dei #vigilidelfuoco, impegnati con squadre a terra e #Canadair [#9agosto 12:30] pic.twitter.com/q1cpfVyCDI
— Vigili del Fuoco (@vigilidelfuoco) August 9, 2025
Campania governor Vincenzo De Luca requested the government to mobilise the national civil protection service which dispatched two additional Canadair aircraft from the state fleet, adding to the four already present along with four regional helicopters.
A total of 10 aircraft were operating in the Vesuvius area on Saturday, assisted on the ground by teams from the Carabinieri forestry corps, civil protection volunteers, Naples police officers and soldiers.
The situation was complicated further by unfavourable weather conditions as temperatures rise with the arrival of a heatwave.
The reason for the fire is not yet known but arson is suspected, according to media reports.
