Flames in the green area of via Rina de Liguoro in Vigne Nuove, huge column of smoke on the sky of Rome with citizens in the street. A fire of enormous dimensions broke out late in the morning today, 16 June, in a vast green area of the capital which lies between via Giuseppe De Santis, Piazzale Ennio Flaiano, Viadotto dei Presidenti, via Rina de Liguoro, via Cesare Zavattini, via della Bufalotta and via Franco Arcalli. An area of vegetation burned, with brushwood but also waste, which generated an enormous column of smoke that enveloped the sky of the capital, particularly the area north of Rome, between Tufello, Montesacro, Serpentera and Casal Bertone.
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Once the alarm was raised on the spot, the operations room of the firefighters in Via Genova sent several teams from the various local detachments. Assisting them is an army of regional civil protection volunteers with at least 8 pick-ups and 3 tankers as well as the DOS (Director of firefighting operations) and the Lazio Region helicopter. The Carabinieri were also present for what they were responsible for. The origin of the fire remains to be understood, whether malicious or accidental. “A fire of enormous dimensions with an army of civil protection volunteers working to clean it up – comments Lucio Parlavecchio, a volunteer – an emergency situation, with a fire currently out of control in a vast green area close to the houses”.
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For years now, the area had been in dire conditions. The grass was more than one and a half meters high and has now completely invaded the pavement, waste is abundant and residents’ concern is increasing regarding the fire risk. “There were brushwood up to two meters high in some places, no one has ever intervened over the years to make the area safe – says Leonardo, an inhabitant of the area – There have been devastating fires which have, at times, put the safety of the public as well as the petrol station attendant is also at risk. The state of degradation and abandonment of the area is there for all to see”. In recent years, in fact, there have been several fires, some of them devastating, which have affected the area. The most emblematic in 2017, 2019, 2021, 2023. history therefore seems to repeat itself almost every year. In 2017 a large fire in the evening affected the entire green area, much to the concern of residents given the proximity to two school complexes.
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In 2019, however, a regional Civil Protection helicopter also had to intervene, which had to carry out several “drops” to slow down the fire front. “I still remember that day because I was near the school, let’s say towards the petrol station. There must have been at least 15 Civil Protection teams, as many from the Fire Brigade and law enforcement. The fire was stopped practically 2 meters from the petrol station, which was impressive,” says Claudia. In 2021 a new fire devastated more than half of the greenery. In 2022 another fire affected the stretch from Bufalotta to the interior. “That day there were hundreds of children in a summer center and the flames had practically reached the car parks,” reports a resident. “There was a lot of risk that day but it seems that no one is interested in tackling the situation head on,” she concludes.
