Mass evacuation near Agrigento as scorching heat and gale-force winds fuel dozens of blazes across Sicily and Sardinia.The Italian islands of Sicily and Sardinia are grappling with a wildfire emergency, as scorching temperatures and strong scirocco winds have sparked dozens of blazes threatening towns, hospitals and infrastructure.Evacuation near Agrigento The most critical situation is unfolding in Santo Stefano Quisquina, in the province of Agrigento, where a large fire whipped up by scirocco winds reached the edge of the town on Wednesday morning. More than 100 people have been evacuated as a precaution, with mayor Francesco Cacciatore urging residents of the Canfuto and Bosco districts to leave immediately. "The situation is dramatic, I have evacuated everyone at risk, the firefighting planes have started their drops." Cacciatore said. Firefighters, alongside police and carabinieri, are working to protect several sensitive sites near the flames: an oxygen depot, a medical clinic, a fuel station and a fireworks factory. Authorities have transferred 22 patients from the clinic as a precaution. Palermo and the rest of Sicily under strain The province of Palermo is also under severe pressure, with fires still threatening Montagna Longa and San Martino delle Scale after two consecutive nights of blazes and power blackouts. Since 18 July, Sicily's fire service has carried out more than 1,000 interventions across the island, doubling shifts at every provincial command to cope with the surge. Further fires are burning in the provinces of Catania, where crews are awaiting aerial support in Belpasso and Militello in Val di Catania, and Siracusa, with overnight operations in Carlentini, Palazzolo Acreide and Noto. A blaze between Letojanni and Pagliara in the Messina area, which destroyed hectares of Mediterranean scrubland, has now been extinguished, while state road SS186 near Monreale remained closed in both directions because of fire. The current wave follows a recent heatwave that left vegetation tinder-dry; Caltagirone, in the province of Catania, recorded 45.3°C on 18 July, and at least 40 separate fires were logged across Sicily in a single day last week. Sardinia also on alert Regional civil protection authorities have kept Sardinia under an orange "high danger" alert for several consecutive days, including Wednesday, warning that any new outbreak could rapidly outstrip ordinary firefighting resources. Helicopters and ground crews have been deployed to blazes in Bonorva, Villasor, Carbonia and Tortolì in the past 24 hours alone, following earlier fires in the Cagliari metropolitan area, Samassi and San Basilio. Figures published this week show the scale of Sardinia's 2026 fire season: around 1,200 fires recorded since the start of the year, 670 of them in June alone, have burned more than 5,000 hectares - a 25 per cent increase on the 10-year average. Both islands are still under extreme heat and wind warnings, withemergency services on Sicily and Sardinia remain on continuous alert, and aerial firefighting units engaged on multiple fronts simultaneously.

The Italian islands of Sicily and Sardinia are grappling with a wildfire emergency, as scorching temperatures and strong scirocco winds have sparked dozens of blazes threatening towns, hospitals and infrastructure. The most critical situation is unfolding in Santo Stefano Quisquina, in the province of Agrigento, where a large fire whipped up by scirocco winds reached the edge of the town on Wednesday morning. More than 100 people have been evacuated as a precaution, with mayor Francesco Cacciatore urging residents of the Canfuto and Bosco districts to leave immediately. "The situation is dramatic, I have evacuated everyone at risk, the firefighting planes have started their drops." Cacciatore said. Firefighters, alongside police and carabinieri, are working to protect several sensitive sites near the flames: an oxygen depot, a medical clinic, a fuel station and a fireworks factory. Authorities have transferred 22 patients from the clinic as a precaution. The province of Palermo is also under severe pressure, with fires still threatening Montagna Longa and San Martino delle Scale after two consecutive nights of blazes and power blackouts. Since 18 July, Sicily's fire service has carried out more than 1,000 interventions across the island, doubling shifts at every provincial command to cope with the surge. Further fires are burning in the provinces of Catania, where crews are awaiting aerial support in Belpasso and Militello in Val di Catania, and Siracusa, with overnight operations in Carlentini, Palazzolo Acreide and Noto. A blaze between Letojanni and Pagliara in the Messina area, which destroyed hectares of Mediterranean scrubland, has now been extinguished, while state road SS186 near Monreale remained closed in both directions because of fire. The current wave follows a recent heatwave that left vegetation tinder-dry; Caltagirone, in the province of Catania, recorded 45.3°C on 18 July, and at least 40 separate fires were logged across Sicily in a single day last week. Regional civil protection authorities have kept Sardinia under an orange "high danger" alert for several consecutive days, including Wednesday, warning that any new outbreak could rapidly outstrip ordinary firefighting resources. Helicopters and ground crews have been deployed to blazes in Bonorva, Villasor, Carbonia and Tortolì in the past 24 hours alone, following earlier fires in the Cagliari metropolitan area, Samassi and San Basilio. Figures published this week show the scale of Sardinia's 2026 fire season: around 1,200 fires recorded since the start of the year, 670 of them in June alone, have burned more than 5,000 hectares - a 25 per cent increase on the 10-year average. Both islands are still under extreme heat and wind warnings, withemergency services on Sicily and Sardinia remain on continuous alert, and aerial firefighting units engaged on multiple fronts simultaneously.