A 59-year-old firefighter collapsed and died while battling a wildfire in San Cataldo, a town in Sicily's Caltanissetta province, on Wednesday, apparently suffering a medical emergency amid temperatures exceeding 40 degrees Celsius across the island. Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi confirmed the death, and a colleague was hospitalised with heat-related illness during the same operation.
Flames reached homes in San Cataldo, forcing evacuations. Separately, more than 100 residents and 22 clinic patients were evacuated from Santo Stefano Quisquina. Regional President Renato Schifani said nearly 50 of 344 fires remained active on Tuesday, while Calabria recorded over 160 blazes in 24 hours.
About 20 municipalities lost access to drinking water, and Legambiente Sicilia called for military deployment to assist overwhelmed firefighting crews.