Yesterday afternoon, Wednesday 1 July, around 2.00 pm, lightning struck the dry vegetation of the hamlet of Cellina, in Leggiuno, on the Varese shore of Lake Maggiore. The surrounding land, scorched by the extreme temperatures which in the previous days had reached the threshold of forty degrees, acted as a real natural bait due to the total absence of recent rains.
The strong wind that was blowing at that moment quickly fed the flames, pushing them along the impervious rock faces that directly overlook the Verbano water basin. This weather phenomenon generated a so-called zone spread of fire, characterized by multiple and widespread outbreaks that followed the different paths of the electrical discharge in the undergrowth. The initial assessment of the event speaks of at least a thousand square meters of forest completely destroyed by the fire, or perhaps something more, with dense columns of black smoke visible from a long distance and a strong burning smell that also spread to the surrounding municipalities.
The intervention of the land fleet and naval support from Verbania
The complex morphology of the Monte di Cellina road, combined with the impossibility of using the helicopter due to adverse weather and wind conditions, made the firefighting operations extremely difficult for the first rescuers who arrived on site. The firefighters of the Varese command attacked the main front of the fire by land using four heavy vehicles, working in close synergy with the Forestry Carabinieri and the local police. Given the verticality and danger of the cliff, it was essential to request the special help of a fire-fighting motorboat from the Verbania command, which used its powerful hydraulic pumps to fish and launch the lake water directly against the rock.
The logistical coordination saw a massive deployment of provincial civil protection teams from the forest firefighting sector. Volunteer groups from Besozzo, Gorla Maggiore, Ternate, Caravate, Angera, Cavaria and Jerago con Orago worked tirelessly in the field. During the most acute phases of the emergency, rescuers carried out in-depth checks to ensure the safety of some villas located near the lake shore, monitoring the evolution of the situation to avoid structural damage to private properties.
No damage to the Hermitage of Santa Caterina and the reclamation operations
The highest institutional authorities have followed the evolution of the crisis from the first moments to evaluate the impact on the cultural heritage and the population. The president of the Province, Marco Magrini, wanted to reassure public opinion by officially declaring that the historic monumental complex of the Hermitage of Santa Caterina del Sasso was not touched in the slightest by the flames.
Likewise, the mayor of Leggiuno, Giovanni Parmigiani, confirmed the temporary safety of the affected area, highlighting how the fire did not cause any injuries or the direct involvement of residential buildings. Although the main front has been considerably reduced thanks to the massive water barrier, the situation on Monte di Cellina still requires maximum attention due to some dangerous flare-ups that occurred during the night.
This morning, the ground fire brigade teams remained on site to supervise the delicate remediation and prevention activities of the small residual fires latent in the rock. To speed up the definitive extinguishing of the embers in the most inaccessible points of the mountain, the municipal authorities have arranged the targeted intervention of a regional firefighting helicopter, inviting citizens to avoid the area so as not to hinder the emergency vehicles.
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