A forest fire emergency returned on Friday as blazes swept through large swathes of the country, leaving six people injured and destroying hundreds of hectares of woodland and several homes.
One of the worst-hit zones was on the outskirts of Ascoli Piceno in central Italy, where a fire that has been raging for several days reached a residential area.
A man suffered severe burns and five other people had to be treated for smoke inhalation, while more than 500 residents were forced to temporarily leave their homes, six of which were burnt to the ground.
Firefighting operations were hampered by strong winds and the mountainous terrain.
Accoli Piceno Mayor Piero Celani said that "it was very frightening because hot winds spread the fire in no time at all. We feared the worst".
Meanwhile, near Vieste in the southern region of Puglia, the coastguard rescued six people from a beach and inside a sea cave where they had fled to safety.
A campsite in the same area was evacuated as a precaution.
Firefighters were also battling big blazes in the regions of Campania around Naples, Calabria on the toe of Italy and on the islands of Sicily and Sardinia.
Sardinia's airport at Olbia was closed down on Friday afternoon because thick smoke from nearby fires was hampering visibility.
D'ALEMA CALLS FOR EU FIRE TASK FORCE.
Italy has seen one of its worst fire emergencies in decades this summer.
Over the past two months, the fires have claimed 12 lives and destroyed thousands of hectares of forest, woodland and coastal brush as well as dozens of properties.
Arsonists have been blamed in most cases and Premier Romano Prodi has called for "the greatest severity" in punishing "such unthinkable crimes".
Suspicion usually focuses on farmers seeking to clear space for agricultural purposes or land developers hoping to win permits for new constructions.
It is also believed that firefighters themselves and seasonal workers with the Forestry Corps, cleanup squads and reforestation programmes set fire to woods in the hope of creating new jobs.
Foreign Minister Massimo D'Alema on Friday called for the creation of a European Union agency to coordinate firefighting activities in the event of major fire emergencies.
Referring to fire disasters like the ones in Italy and Greece, where 63 people have died and thousands have been made homeless, D'Alema said the idea would be to set up an agency that could respond quickly and effectively to such crises.
"It would be based on a mechanism of mutual and automatic assistance," said the former premier who met on Friday with his Greek counterpart Dora Bakoyannis.
"Each country would be obliged to have the necessary firefighting equipment at its disposal and use it in coordination with other European nations," he said.
