A suspected arson attack burned a wide swathe of Mediterranean scrubland overnight on Mount San Biagio in Maratea, southern Italy, with flames reaching the base of the hilltop Christ the Redeemer statue and the adjacent Basilica of San Biagio.
Firefighters, backed by a state-owned Canadair water-bomber and a regional civil-protection helicopter, took roughly nine hours to contain the blaze. Investigators believe fires were set simultaneously at up to five separate points, including the hamlets of Acquafredda and Massa, making an intentional origin appear almost certain in early assessments.
Basilicata regional president Vito Bardi described the fire as an attack on the region's beauty and history. The local authority has closed the Saint Biagio trail and a via ferrata route, while provincial technicians inspect the scorched slopes for rock-fall risk.