Fire Destroys Vegetation Near Tignale Amid Suspicion of Arson
A devastating fire has reduced hectares of vegetation to ashes and raised more than one suspicion. A violent blaze destroyed about twenty hectares of the beautiful pine forest overlooking Tignale, a small municipality in the area of Alto Garda, and, so far without damage, also threatened the residences in the hamlet of Coste.
The flames, which broke out in the early afternoon on Sunday, had been contained by last night, but the alarm had not yet subsided.
Experts from the wildfire reporting service of Pirellone, who did not receive any reports from other provinces, describe the Tignale fire as unusual: “Throughout Lombardy, as in the rest of the Alpine Arc, this period does not favor flames: typically, due to a series of unfavorable conditions, fires break out in winter and early spring.”
Reactions and Suspicious Causes
For Tignale’s mayor, Manlio Bonincontri, the fire represents a “true disaster, with the loss of hectares of pine forest of extraordinary naturalistic value.” Not only that. According to the mayor, the origin is almost certainly malicious.
His claim would be supported by the fact that, according to some reports, the fire broke out simultaneously in three different points near the town, raising multiple suspicions about the nature of the blaze.
From Sunday until late yesterday afternoon, numerous teams of firefighters, Forest Rangers, volunteers, and coordinated Carabinieri, assisted by the Community Mountain of Alto Garda, worked tirelessly in the fight against fire and weather conditions. The municipal offices in Tignale also set up the operational base.
Men and equipment remained at work until sunset in an inaccessible area, managing to contain the flames; work will resume at dawn today to fully extinguish the fire.
Aerial Interventions and Regional Collaboration
Three helicopters additionally intervened on site, dropping water on the fire: besides the two aircraft provided by the Lombardy Region, a third Ecureuil B2 helicopter sent by the Forest Fire Operations Center of the Veneto Region was also deployed yesterday.
The intervention was requested by Pirellone as part of the interregional civil protection agreement signed in November 1998 between the Veneto assessor, Massimo Giorgetti, and his Lombard counterpart, Milena Bertani.
“The fire,” commented yesterday Viviana Beccalossi, Lombardy regional vice president and assessor for Agriculture, “although affecting a limited area, presents a danger due to its proximity to inhabited areas and the characteristics of the forest. The blaze is destroying one of the most beautiful corners of the province of Brescia.”