Fire on Monte Goj near Como sends smoke and ash over the city

A fire that broke out in the afternoon in woodland at the foot of Monte Goj, a rise within the municipal territory of Como close to residential districts, has grown steadily more critical.

The wind made the situation worse. According to the fire service officers leading the response, a strong wind rose in the evening, fanning the flames and spreading smoke and ash over the city centre and the neighbouring towns of Cernobbio and Moltrasio, on the western shore of the lake.

Crews are working to defend a care home for people with disabilities. The precautionary evacuation of two houses is also under way.

About eighty firefighters are on site, drawn from Como, neighbouring provinces and other parts of Lombardy. Two water bombers and two helicopters are expected the following day: aircraft cannot operate in the dark, which is why night is the most delicate phase of a fire of this kind. Mayor Alessandro Rapinese, officers from the provincial fire command and several volunteer crews are present at the scene.

The fire adds to the other blazes affecting northern Italy in recent weeks, particularly those in the Verbano-Cusio-Ossola at Piedimulera and Calasca Castiglione, where aircraft have been deployed for days.

Como is a few kilometres from the Ticino border, and the smoke drifted along the western arm of the lake towards the frontier. The combination that makes these operations difficult is the same as north of the border: weeks without rain, dry vegetation and steep slopes that ground crews struggle to reach.