Forest fire on Monte Gambarogno, firefighters at work into the evening

A forest fire broke out in the evening on Monte Gambarogno. Firefighters reached the scene shortly after the alarm was raised.

The Republic and Canton of Ticino issued a notice through the Alertswiss channel at about 19.34, with an update at 20.32. It states that firefighters are already aware of the situation and are working on site, and that the 118 emergency number is overloaded. The public was asked not to report the fire again.

No particular protective measures are planned for the population. The authorities recommend not going into the affected area and, for anyone already there, leaving it immediately.

A slope dry for weeks

Monte Gambarogno lies on the left shore of Lake Maggiore, in an area of mixed woodland that has built up a marked water deficit in recent weeks. Since July the canton has banned open fires in and near woodland, a measure taken after the fire danger index crossed the relevant threshold.

Ticino has already faced several sizeable fires this summer, including the one at Lavertezzo in the Verzasca valley, which took days of work. The usual difficulty in such operations lies in the terrain: the slopes are steep and ground access is often limited to footpaths, which makes helicopters with water buckets necessary, though these cannot be used at night.

Crews stay on site through the night to contain the front and protect isolated buildings. Water drops from the air can only resume in daylight.