A vast fire is underway in the Pile Fraballe area, a rural and outlying zone in the municipality of Peschici (Foggia), near Difesa di Manaccora. According to information obtained from Mayor Luigi d'Arenzo, a large area of Mediterranean scrubland and Aleppo pines is ablaze. Fire brigade tanker trucks are operating on site, along with civil protection personnel. The emergency response has reportedly contained the fire, which however — the mayor emphasizes — is affecting an area "that worries us a bit. The deployment of an aerial vehicle has already been requested." The smoke cloud is visible from several tens of kilometres away.
The fire, which broke out in the late morning, has spread as far as the Baia Zaiana area, along the same stretch of the Gargano coastal road. Mayor Luigi d'Arenzo is making his way to the scene. "Today's wind is fuelling the flames," the mayor explains. A fire brigade aircraft has recently arrived at the site of the blaze in the Pile Fraballe area, where the fire is burning Mediterranean scrubland and Aleppo pines, and water drops are being carried out. Around ten rural dwellings are located in the area, which — the mayor reassures — have not been affected by the flames. "We are also awaiting the arrival of the Canadair from Rome," says d'Arenzo.
Due to the fire on the Vieste-Peschici coastal road, local public transport services will undergo some changes. Ferrovie del Gargano announced this in a statement. Specifically, Provincial Road 52 along the coast is closed, with buses diverted onto State Road 89. Services from Vieste to Peschici and from Peschici to Vieste will travel along the inland road (SS 89) up to a certain point, before returning to the coastal road after the Santa Maria stop, while the Manaccore stops are temporarily suspended and will not be served until normal road conditions are restored. The flames, as reported, are also affecting the territory of Cagnano Varano, where — ANAS announces — a section of State Road 693 'Dei Laghi di Lesina e Varano' from km 29.600 to km 27.000 is temporarily closed.
Tourists evacuated from the beaches are being taken aboard Coast Guard vessels. At sea, Coast Guard craft are taking tourists on board along the coastal road between Peschici and Vieste, on the Gargano peninsula, where the fire has also reached areas close to the sea. The Municipality of Peschici announces that "the Elementary School building in Via Montesanto has been opened to receive all those in need of assistance or a safe place."
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