Around 1,000 tourists evacuated after fire in southern Italy

Around 1,000 tourists were evacuated on Wednesday after a wildfire broke out in the southern Italian region of Puglia, firefighters said.

Three Canadair water bombers and a helicopter were deployed to try to contain the blaze in a wooded coastal area in the Gargano sub-region.

“The fire is being tackled from the land and from the air,” a fire service spokesman said, confirming that around 1,000 tourists had been evacuated.

According to reports, tourists from a complex near the bay of San Felice are among those moved.

Puglia attracts tourists from around the world with its clear waters, white sandy beaches and distinctive architecture.

The area hit by the fire is dominated by the Gargano National Park.

“The situation is critical,” the mayor of nearby Vieste, Giuseppe Nobiletti, had earlier told reporters, according to the Corriere della Sera newspaper.

He expressed concern that the winds were pushing the flames towards the tourist complex.

After weeks of hot weather, fires have broken out almost daily across Italy, particularly in the south and on the islands.

Two firefighters died last week fighting a blaze near Matera in Basilicata, a region that neighbors Puglia.