Wildfire rages through Italian paradise as officials suspect arson

A raging wildfire along Italy’s famed Amalfi Coast forced precautionary evacuations and left tourists on edge as emergency crews battled flames across the iconic Mediterranean getaway.

Firefighters were deployed in both aerial and ground operations to combat the blaze that broke out in scrubland near Amalfi.

Efforts to extinguish the fire continued uninterrupted along the coast after the blaze erupted Monday evening, according to Reuters.

The flames affected areas surrounding Cus Pogerola, Positano, Amalfi, Tovere di Amalfi and nearby coastal zones, local news outlets reported.

Fire crews worked through the night to prevent the flames from reaching residential areas, and no injuries or damage to homes were reported.

While strong winds initially prevented helicopters from taking part in the response, firefighting aircraft joined the operation by morning.

Italy’s national fire service, Vigili del Fuoco, said on X that emergency crews responded to scrubland fires stretching between Positano, Amalfi, Agerola and Vico Equense along the Amalfi Coast and Sorrento Peninsula.

A total of seven ground teams and three aircraft were deployed as part of the firefighting operation, according to the Turkish news organization Anadolu Agency.

As a precaution, some restaurants and facilities in key locations were evacuated as concerns grew among tourists staying in the region, the news outlet reported.

Local leaders warned of severe environmental damage and publicly raised suspicions of arson, Italian newspaper Il Mattino said.

Positano Mayor Gabriella Guida confirmed that the fire ravaged the woods of Tordigliano on the border between the Amalfi Coast and the Sorrento Peninsula, the newspaper reported.

The flames reached much of the state road — which was closed to ensure safe firefighting operations — and descended toward Positano.

It also threatened upper mountain hamlets in the Capo d’Acqua area before Montepertuso, between Positano and Santa Maria del Castello, according to local newspapers.

Guida expressed fears that the loss of centuries-old trees would trigger major hydrogeological disruption and landslides once the first rains arrived, Il Mattino reported.

She said she believes the cause was likely arson, pointing out that fires breaking out simultaneously across Vico Equense, Agerola, Amalfi and Positano appeared to indicate a coordinated plan, rather than a coincidence, local outlets reported.

Guida acknowledged the economic toll on the destination, noting that travelers were frightened during what was supposed to be a relaxing vacation. 

She urged anyone with information about the fires to speak up, according to the newspaper.

Sorrento Mayor Corrado Fattorusso released an official statement expressing solidarity with the administrations and communities of the Sorrento Peninsula and the Amalfi Coast, according to local news outlet Il Sole 24 Ore.

Describing the fires as an attack on the region’s identity, history and environmental heritage, Fattorusso urged authorities to move from words to action by identifying the culprits and establishing concrete land monitoring and prevention measures.

As of midweek, fire crews were still working to extinguish the remaining hot spots in areas around the Amalfi Coast and Sorrento Peninsula, according to numerous reports.