LECCE – «Unfortunately, the season of major fires has begun. Yesterday the pine forest on the Lido Conchiglie hill, between Gallipoli and Sannicola di Lecce, caught fire. Only after hours did two Canadairs arrive from Lamezia Terme. If they had intervened immediately, the flames could have been contained and extinguished sooner, and hectares of greenery would not have gone up in smoke. The lack of a base for firefighting aircraft in Salento is a problem that I have highlighted several times, as is the lack of men and means to manage the risk of fires which, especially in summer, reaches emergency peaks.” This was reported by Paolo Pagliaro, leader of the La Puglia Tomorrow group in the regional council.
«In June 2022 – he adds – I presented a motion, not yet discussed, to commit the regional council to assigning to the firefighters and civil protection associations the off-road vehicles and special vehicles purchased by the regional Civil Protection but unused, parked in the garages of the Province of Lecce and in the garages scattered throughout Puglia. In August 2021 I also urged President Emiliano to decree a state of emergency for the fires that had been devouring forests and countryside for weeks, from Salento to Murgia to Gargano. A script – he concludes – that is dramatically repeated every summer”.
