Fires in Sicily

Hi, Giangilberto from Milan, this is an article published today on the official website of the Sicily region:

https://www.regione.sicilia.it/la-regione-informa/incendi-198-roghi-sicilia-nel-fine-settimana-mobilitati-canadair-elicotteri-corpo-forestale

There were 198 fires that affected the Sicilian territory between Saturday and Sunday. This was announced by the Command of the Forestry Corps of the Sicilian Region. To tackle the fires, 20 different air interventions were authorized by the State's Unified Air Operations Center (Coau), at the request of the Permanent Regional Operations Room. Canadair and heavy helicopters engaged in firefighting operations on the field.
The state forces were joined by the Forestry Corps, also engaged with the entire available air team: ten "Falchi" and a heavy helicopter of the Carabinieri, operating in agreement with the Region.
Most of the fires originated in uncultivated land, both municipal and private, and then quickly spread to the surrounding wooded areas or urban settlements, requiring timely and coordinated intervention.
The data from the Forestry Corps of the Sicilian Region highlight the role of the permanent operations room in monitoring events and managing interventions. The structure made it possible to distribute the available forces across the entire regional territory, coordinating operations with the firefighters and the regional civil protection and modulating the use of the vehicles based on the severity and evolution of the individual fires.
An example comes from the Palermo area, where the Forestry Corps was busy putting out a fire of particular intensity in the Caccamo area, which risked destroying the cemetery and its church, while the Fire Brigade guaranteed the presence of the fire that affected the urban center of Ciminna. The Canadair in action on Caccamo was able to move to Ciminna only when the visibility conditions made the flight safe, as indicated by the pilot of the vehicle.
All reports received over the weekend, therefore, were taken care of promptly, following the operational priorities and times established by the Coau for the activation of the air vehicles, also based on the intervention conditions and the pilots' assessments. The entire regional device was mobilized without sparing human resources and available means, with the aim of containing the flames and limiting the damage to the territory.
Furthermore, the work of modernizing and upgrading forest fire fighting vehicles continues: 84 off-road vehicles and 14 pick-ups with fire-fighting equipment have already been purchased and distributed; while, after an appeal to the administrative judge, the purchase contracts for 90 heavy vehicles (such as tankers) and another 210 pick-ups have already been signed. And the strengthening of the Forestry Corps' staff also continues: the 46 new agents and the stabilized former park guards will soon be joined by another 94 agents who are completing training courses before being put into service.

I'll add some useful information:
IT-alert is the Civil Protection Department's public alert system. It works via cell broadcast, so it's available even when roaming, without downloading an app or requiring an Italian SIM card. If there's an emergency in your area, your phone will ring.
Palermo, Taormina and Ortigia are three cities on the coast, in three opposite points of the island. The fires in Sicily mainly affect the hinterland and hilly areas. The risk of all three being affected at the same time is low.
Furthermore, in mid-September in Sicily temperatures are still high but not as extreme as August, and the coast is cooler than the interior.
You arrive in mid-September, when the fire season in Sicily slows with the first rains and the drop in temperatures. It doesn't end, but it decreases.

Wildfires are common in Sicily every year. Sicily shares that characteristic with California. They both have similar weather (hot and dry in summer). However, unlike California, houses are not made out of wood. House construction in Italy uses exclusively brick and mortar, and masonry buildings are not affected by fire, therefore the cities will not be affected by those wildfires. Obviously the quality of the air might suffer, as you will be smelling smoke if the wildfire is near and the wind blows the smoke your way. It's not that hot right now in the cities you are going. High temps are in the low 30's centigrade (high 80s F).