A wildfire raged in the northern Italian province of Varese, a video posted by Italian firebrigade on Tuesday (March 28) showed, Reuters reports.
Footage showed flames and clouds of smoke rising above a forest, boosted by winds and dry weather.
A European Commission report this month observed a lack of rain and warmer-than-normal temperatures during the winter, raising drought warnings for southern Spain, France, Ireland, Britain, northern Italy, Greece and parts of eastern Europe.
Authorities fear a repeat of 2022, when 785,000 hectares of forests were destroyed in Europe - more than double the annual average for the past 16 years.
