Tourists evacuated from Puglia resort due to forest fire

(ANSA) - Lecce, July 15 - Some 50 tourists were evacuated Friday from the resort area of Li Foggi near the Puglia coastal town of Gallipoli after a massive fire destroyed 30 hectares of prized pine forest in the nearby Isola di Sant'Andrea nature reserve.
    The coast road connecting Gallipoli to Santa Maria di Leuca was temporarily shut down to traffic as fire fighters and civil protection personnel beat back and ultimately put out the blaze before it reached the large hotels in the area.
    Legambiente environmentalist group dispatched representatives to the scene, where they reported massive ecological damage due to what was probably arson, given that the fire started in four different points.