The Camaldoli burnthe hill that with its hermitage dominates Naples, and with the ash also raining down on the city are controversies over the rescue efforts, late for some. The fire, most likely malicious in nature and not yet completely put out after twenty-four hours, broke out in the early afternoon of yesterday near the populous neighborhoods of Vomero and Soccavo, with flames visible even from several kilometers away. touching the houses and making scorched earth of woods and chestnut groves.
Only this morning, with the help of three Canadianairs, was it possible to counter it effectively. Means which – as revealed by Mayor Manfredi – were not available yesterday afternoon. The firefighters fought the flames, arriving with helicopters to contain the fire that developed on the Soccavo side of the hill, and then spread like wildfire until it attacked the inhabited areas.
On site – since yesterday evening – both the mayor of Naples, Gaetano Manfredi, and the prefect of the Neapolitan capital Michele di Bari who activated the rescue coordination centre. After the first interventions continued until late in the evening, the extinguishing operations continued from the early hours of today when – faced with the fire which showed no signs of abating – the firefighting vehicles took off.
There were two fronts of the flames: the first, on the lower slope of Soccavo-Pianura, was covered by a helicopter with a load capacity of 500 litres, followed by a Canadian fire brigade departing from Ciampino, with a capacity of 6,130 litres. On the second front, that of Camaldoli, the flight of another 9000 liter Erikson helicopter was authorized. The city woke up covered in ash in various areas, and with the sky greying.
Many residents were unable to sleep due to the acrid smoke. The damage to the environment is incalculable. The situation improved with the arrival of a third firefighting aircraft: “Our first objective – explains the prefect of Naples – was to make people safe”. Immediately afterwards, the area was cordoned off with the use of numerous police patrols.”
The wind also made things difficult. As Mayor Manfredi explained: “The situation was very complex because the fire front changed direction many times, so this made the extinguishing operations very difficult.” The wind, therefore, but not only. “There was also – underlined Manfredi – the lack of air vehicles which were unable to intervene when it was dark, this made the operations very difficult. The intervention this morning of three Canadair made it possible to secure the situation”.
It wasn’t possible before. Manfredi himself explains why: “I spoke to the fire brigade commander, because the fire started yesterday at lunchtime and he told me that there was no availability of more important aerial vehicles in the afternoon. This is what I was told – he added – and that therefore only the helicopters intervened. There was actually another problem which is the presence of high voltage cables in that area which prevented the helicopters. to be able to work freely, so we had to wait first for the high voltage system to be made safe.”
A parliamentary question is ready. Avs parliamentarian Francesco Borrelli announced it “to find out why the air vehicles arrived many hours late compared to the reports from citizens and firefighters”. A fire (made of accusations) in the fire that the prefect of Bari tries to reduce: “The situation is critical, but not dangerous. The rescue center was activated immediately and it is not true that the nuns were evacuated. The The response being given is the most adequate possible: the flames are not yet out but I expect them to be in the next few hours.”
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