Giorgio Armani helps evacuate tourists after wildfire on Italian island

Our Foreign Staff
·1 min read
Flames burn beyond Giorgio Armani's villa on the Sicilian island of Pantelleria - Armani Press Office/AP
Flames burn beyond Giorgio Armani's villa on the Sicilian island of Pantelleria - Armani Press Office/AP

Giorgio Armani helped to evacuate dozens of tourists after a wildfire on the remote Italian island of Pantelleria.

The revered designer raced by boat to tell his neighbours of the blaze on the island, according to a spokesman.

The coastguard said 30 tourists were evacuated when a fire broke out in the vegetation on the north-east of the island, which is off the southern coast of Sicily.

Armani has a holiday home on Pantelleria and the flames came "near" but did not damage it, the spokesman for his brand told AFP.

Guests had just arrived for aperitifs at Armani’s home when his staff saw smoke, according to La Repubblica.

“We felt desperate and helpless in front of those flames,” journalist Myrta Merlino told the paper. “We saw the flames eat the hill before our eyes... we barely had time to take our wallets and smartphones.”

The journalist, Marco Tardelli - the former Italian national team footballer - and other guests later took refuge on Armani’s yacht, according to La Reppublica.

Giorgio Armani has a holiday home on Pantelleria and the flames came close but did not damage it - Michel Euler /AP
Giorgio Armani has a holiday home on Pantelleria and the flames came close but did not damage it - Michel Euler /AP

Investigators are looking into the cause of the blaze, but Vincenzo Campo, mayor of Pantelleria, said it could be arson.

He thanked the emergency services for their help, and condemned the “cowards” who “unjustly trample this land”.

Much of western Europe, including Italy, is a tinderbox this summer due to a series of rolling heatwaves and months without rain.

Experts say climate change driven by human activity is boosting the intensity and frequency of extreme weather events, such as heatwaves, droughts and wildfires.

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