Fire brigades in Tuscany and northern Italy continued to battle wildfires on Wednesday (January 20), forcing hundreds to evacuate near the town of Lucca, Reuters reports.
Wildfires have broken out in several parts of Italy this week as temperatures keep rising.
Nine cities were on the country's highest heatwave alert, which warns of serious health risks linked to the weather, up from five on Tuesday (January 19). The total will rise to 14 on Thursday, including Rome, Milan, and Florence.
Temperatures are expected to hit 40C across a swathe of the north and centre this week, as well as in the southern heel of Italy's boot, Puglia, and the islands of Sardinia and Sicily.
On Wednesday, in Tuscany, a fire that broke out on Monday (July 18) evening continued to burn near the town of Lucca, having already destroyed some 560 hectares (2.15 square miles) of woods.
It forced around 500 people to evacuate as the flames raged through the night reaching some villages and causing the explosion of some liquified gas tanks, the region's governor Eugenio Giani said on Twitter.
In the north-eastern Friuli Venezia Giulia region, residents were urged to stay indoors because of heavy smoke from a wildfire that started on Tuesday in the Carso area bordering Croatia and Slovenia.
The fire prompted state-owned shipbuilder Fincantieri to close down its plant in the port city of Monfalcone.
