Italy's Rampaging Wildfire Burns Down Sicilian Church to the Ground

(Photo : Pexels/Alexandre P. Junior)

Strong winds and drained weather are spreading wildfires over Sicily, damaging a century-old church on the Italian island.

According to a report by Premier Christian News, the fire reached the convent of Santa Maria di Gesu leaving St. Benedict the Moor in Palermo with burnt rubble and crucifix.

"The convent of Santa Maria in Gesu went up in smoke because it was involved in a fire that broke out in the nearby mountain. The damage is enormous, and we literally lost the church," said Brother Vincenzo Bruccoleri, the superior friar of the convent.

The church said no one was injured in the incident.

The monumental complex of Santa Maria del Gesù, located in the upper part of Modica, remains one of the highest and most valuable examples of the constructive and figurative late Gothic civilization that spread in Sicily between the late fifteenth and early sixteenth centuries.

The convent is an important cultural site in south-eastern Sicily, as it was home to significant studies of philosophy, theology, and Holy Scripture.

Man-made fire

An agricultural group called Coldiretti claims that 60% of wildfires in Italy are man-made.

Calabrians tell the BBC that everyone from careless farmers to squabbling neighbors is to blame for the fires, and the situation got worse due to the extreme heat, drought, and effects of climate change.

Some believe the firemen started the wildfires to draw attention to their predicament and increase funds. Some argue that tensions between rural neighbors are a significant issue. Others point the finger at shepherds who seek to convert woodland into grazing land.

Others claimed that most fires are started by pyromaniacs who wish to cause chaos.

The President of Calabria, Roberto Occhiuto, went even further than Coldiretti, estimating that arson was responsible for 80% of wildfires in his province.

"Last year in Calabria we caught 22 arsonists and this year, too, we are finding several," Mr Occhiuto said.

Arrest of arsonist

Authorities have taken some measures to deter such behavior, including the use of drones that scan the land for possible arsonists.

According to a CBS News report, Southern Italy police claimed they apprehended a erial arsonist with the use of drones.

The drone has detected a thermal anomaly, a figure escaping the fire on a motorcycle through a remote field.

In the snippet of the drone video released by police, the suspect can be seen hurling stones at the drone.

The drone operator followed the suspect to an isolated farmstead, where a 47-year-old local was captured by the police. He has a history of small crimes, according to the police.

"Calabria is a civilized region, but it also has some imbeciles who go to set fires in the woods, like this arsonist we caught yesterday," Calabria President Roberto Occhiuto said in a video shared on social media. "Where does he come from, the caves?"

He added that the region has 30 drones at its disposal to monitor the wildfire situation, emphasizing that there will be "zero tolerance" for arsonists.

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