“We heard a bang, then the flame and shortly after the strong smell of smoke…”. The residents thus described the moment of the fire that broke out on the roof of a farmhouse in via Broccata, in Tagliata di Guastalla, close to the Cispadana road. The smoke, fueled by the strong wind, began to be seen around 1pm.
It would have been the flame starting from the chimney connected to a stove that caused the fire, which quickly spread to the large wooden beams that support the roof. A 94-year-old pensioner with his son and partner lives in the part of the house directly affected by the fire. The elderly man, shaken by what happened, was reached by an ambulance and a paramedic to be transported to the hospital emergency room for mild smoke poisoning. As well as a pensioner who lives in the adjacent portion of the building. Their conditions are reassuring.
Among the first rescuers who arrived on site was a Red Cross Civil Protection crew heading towards Reggiolo to transport material for an exercise scheduled for next weekend. At least three people will need temporary accommodation due to the unusability of the house. Once on site, the Guastalla firefighters immediately requested reinforcements, who arrived from Reggio, Viadana and Sant’Ilario, with ladder trucks and tankers. The smoke, driven by the strong wind, was fortunately diverted towards the countryside, avoiding ending up on the Cispadana road, where it would have caused potential risks of accidents. During the firefighting operations, a 31-year-old firefighter suffered a shoulder injury while descending a ladder: he was taken to hospital for a check-up and was discharged shortly afterwards.
Antonio Lecci
