Italian Coast Guard Evacuates 700 People by Sea as Wildfires Approach

The Italian Coast Guard on Sunday, July 26, organized an evacuation of more than 700 people, including tourists, after people were fleeing to the beach and into the water as a wildfire approached a seaside town on the Adriatic. The authorities were not taking chances after a fire two days ago destroyed a beach resort to the south in Gallipoli.

Six boats from the Coast Guard, along with three boats from Guardi di Finanza (financial police) and around 10 private boats, were involved in the evacuation. Images showed people wading into the sea while large plumes of smoke could be seen in the background on shore. Sunday afternoon, the Coast Guard reported that there were at least 300 people who still required an evacuation.

"More than 400 tourists and beachgoers have been evacuated by sea, the only viable evacuation route," the Coast Guard reported on Sunday afternoon as the operation was underway. The evacuations were being conducted from the area around the town of Peschici in the southern Puglia region as the fire consumed the forest near the town.

It is the latest in a series of devastating wildfires that have been linked to the extreme high temperatures, drought, and winds impacting southern Europe from Spain to France and Italy. Authorities said that while the Italian wildfires have not reached the magnitude of those to the west in France and Spain, they reported that at least seven areas (Sicily, Calabria, Molise, Sardinia, Puglia, Umbria, and Tuscany) have all been badly affected by the blazes.

At the end of last week, one of the fires overran a holiday beach area and a resort that had operated for 44 years. The authorities had to evacuate the tourists from the Gallipoli area.

By late Sunday, they were reporting that over 700 people had been evacuated by sea from the area in the Gargano region. A Canadair (firefighting aircraft) was also dispatched and was seen landing in the Adriatic to load up on water. The mayor of the city of Peschici said by early Monday that the fire was fully under control, but the plane continued to treat hotspots. The mayor contended that because the fire was in multiple locations, he believed it could have been arson.

The successful coordination by the Coast Guard ensured that they were able to evacuate the people without serious injuries. Teams were expected to begin ground operations to address the remaining pockets of fire.