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.
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