Southern Italy heat wave drives record alerts and widespread wildfires

A prolonged heat wave is sweeping southern Italy, with temperatures 4‑5 °C above seasonal averages and humidity reaching 80 % at night. The regional civil‑protection centres in Campania have extended the heat‑wave alert to 13:00 UTC on 22 July, urging vulnerable groups—elderly, children, cardiovascular patients—and reminding citizens to stay hydrated, avoid midday exposure and limit car travel.

The extreme heat has triggered a surge in wildfire activity across Sicily and Sardinia. More than 100 firefighting operations have been launched, involving the civil‑protection service, fire brigades, the forest corps and aerial assets such as Canadair, Super‑Puma helicopters and Canadair aircraft. Critical hotspots include Castronovo di Sicilia, Enna, Modica, Catania, Palermo and Messina, where flames have threatened residences, agricultural land and infrastructure, prompting evacuations and the deployment of dozens of ground crews.

Authorities have issued red heat alerts (level 3) for 17 Italian cities and a red fire‑risk alert for all nine Sicilian provinces. Local officials have also suspended horse‑drawn carriage services in Palermo and heightened social‑service support in Messina to cope with heat‑related health emergencies. The regional government faces criticism over delayed investment in fire‑prevention technologies.