The governor of the Italian region of Sardinia, Christian Solinas, said this Monday (26) that entire communities are “on their knees” because of the forest fires that hit the island last weekend.
The flames spread across an area of 20 thousand hectares in the west of the region and caused the evacuation of around a thousand people, in addition to environmental damage that is still being accounted for by local authorities.
“It was an incalculable loss that brought entire communities and their productive and social fabric to their knees. Entire forests were completely destroyed, homes and businesses were devastated, large numbers of cattle died in the fire,” she said.
More than 20 aircraft, including four firefighting planes sent by France and Greece, are helping with the rescue operations. According to Coldiretti, Italy's main farmers' association, it will take at least 15 years to rebuild the devastated forests.
In Cuglieri, an olive tree over a thousand years old was completely burned by flames. The plant was 10 meters in circumference and 16 meters high and was on the list of “monumental trees” drawn up by the Ministry of Agriculture.
Authorities are still on alert for possible new fires in the coming days. (ANSA)
FOLLOW-US
