Italy fires: +256% fires in summer 2021, Over 1 billion in damage

Last Updated on 2021/08/19

What you need to know about the Italy fires

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1 What you need to know about the Italy fires
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Large fires increased 256% in the summer of 2021 due to extreme heat and arsonists.

Fires have affected a large part of the Italian territory, causing damage for about a billion euros between extinguishment, forest restoration, and reconstruction.

Liguria, Calabria, Sardinia, Puglia, Sicily, Campania, Basilicata, Abruzzo, Marche, Molise and Tuscany are the regions most affected.

The data were provided by Coldiretti analysis compared to the historical average 2008-2020 concerning the violent fires that are devastating the country with tens of thousands of hectares of forest and Mediterranean scrub incinerated by flames, and pastures destroyed. Fires threaten cities and the natural reserve of Castelporziano of the Presidency of the Republic.

The economic impact of the fires involves a financial cost to the community that exceeds ten thousand euros per hectare as regards the immediate costs for extinguishing operations.

In addition to the immediate costs for fire extinguishing operations, there is also the long-term damage to the environment with important damages to flora, fauna, agricultural activities, environment, and biodiversity, not to mention the costs to revive the forest ecosystem and associated traditional human activities.

To rebuild the whole ecosystem of the forest and restore traditional activities takes an average of 15 years, according to Coldiretti.

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