Florence Airport Temporarily Suspends Flights Due to Severe Wildfire

© AFP 2023 / FEDERICO SCOPPAAn helicopter drops water over a wildfire raging near the city of Massarosa, Tuscany region, central Italy, on July 20, 2022. (Photo by Federico SCOPPA / AFP)
An helicopter drops water over a wildfire raging near the city of Massarosa, Tuscany region, central Italy, on July 20, 2022. (Photo by Federico SCOPPA / AFP) - Sputnik International, 1920, 27.07.2022
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ROME (Sputnik) - The operation of Florence Airport in Italy was temporarily suspended due to a strong forest fire in the nearby city of Lastra a Signa, President of Tuscany Eugenio Giani said.
According to the governor, two helicopters and 10 groups of volunteers were promptly sent to extinguish the fire.
The airport authorities decided to temporarily suspend all flights due to the thick smoke which covered the runway.
Earlier in July, Giani declared a state of emergency in the region of Tuscany in connection with numerous forest fires, which flared up amid abnormally high temperatures and the worst drought in Italy in the last 70 years.
According to regional authorities, the damage from the fires, which covered over 800 hectares (1977 acres) of forest, is already worth at least 10 million euros ($10.110 million). Some 20 residential buildings were damaged by the fire, and over 1,000 people were evacuated for safety reasons.
According to the European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS), 243 fires were recorded in Italy since the beginning of 2022, while the average annual figure over the past 15 years was 263.
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