Wildfire forces sea evacuation on Adriatic as heat extremes spread northward

A wildfire swept through parts of Puglia on Sunday, forcing the Italian coastguard to evacuate hundreds of people by sea, with more rescues expected. The evacuation underscores the scale of the fire threat now gripping southern Italy as temperatures remain elevated and fuel loads dry across the peninsula. The Local reported the incident as part of a broader pattern of summer wildfires affecting Mediterranean Europe.

The Veneto region has not yet faced evacuations of this scale, but the fire season in the north has already tested local resources. In June and July, smaller blazes in the foothills and Alpine margins prompted precautionary measures in provincial towns. Firefighters and civil protection officials have warned that the conditions that drove the Puglia evacuation—prolonged heat, low humidity, and dried vegetation—are now moving northward as the summer advances.