A wildfire that broke out in scrubland near Amalfi on Monday evening spread quickly along the coast, forcing precautionary evacuations of restaurants and other facilities and prompting officials to suspect the fires were deliberately set.
Firefighters worked through the night using both ground crews and aircraft to stop the flames from reaching homes. No injuries or property damage were reported. Strong winds kept helicopters grounded at first, but firefighting aircraft joined the effort by morning.
Italy’s national fire service, Vigili del Fuoco, said on X that crews responded to scrubland fires stretching between Positano, Amalfi, Agerola and Vico Equense along the Amalfi Coast and Sorrento Peninsula. According to the Anadolu Agency, seven ground teams and three aircraft were deployed in the response.
The fire also struck the areas of Cus Pogerola, Positano, Amalfi and Tovere di Amalfi, according to local news reports.
Fires Threatened Historic Woods and Mountain Hamlets
Positano Mayor Gabriella Guida confirmed that flames tore through the woods of Tordigliano, on the border between the Amalfi Coast and the Sorrento Peninsula, Italian newspaper Il Mattino reported. The fire reached much of the state road, which was closed to allow firefighting operations to continue safely, and pushed toward Positano.
Flames also threatened upper mountain hamlets in the Capo d’Acqua area before Montepertuso, between Positano and Santa Maria del Castello, according to local newspapers.
Guida warned that the loss of centuries-old trees could bring serious hydrogeological consequences, including landslides, once the rainy season arrives.
Mayor Points to Arson
Guida said she believes the fires were likely set deliberately, noting that blazes erupted at roughly the same time in Vico Equense, Agerola, Amalfi and Positano, which she said suggested a coordinated plan rather than a coincidence, according to local outlets.
She also acknowledged the economic damage to the tourist destination, saying travelers had been frightened during what was meant to be a relaxing vacation, and she asked anyone with information about the fires to come forward.
Sorrento Mayor Corrado Fattorusso issued a statement expressing solidarity with communities across the Sorrento Peninsula and Amalfi Coast, according to Il Sole 24 Ore. He described the fires as an attack on the region’s identity, history and environmental heritage, and called on authorities to move from words to action by identifying those responsible and putting in place concrete land monitoring and prevention measures.
As of midweek, fire crews were still working to put out remaining hot spots across the Amalfi Coast and Sorrento Peninsula, according to multiple reports.
