Italy Halts Tourism at Mount Vesuvius Due to Escalating Wildfire

Italian firefighters are working to control a wildfire on the slopes of Mount Vesuvius near Naples, leading to the closure of all hiking trails in the volcano’s national park.

The blaze, which began on Friday, has rapidly spread through the Vesuvius National Park. Fire crews deployed 12 teams on the ground and six Canadair planes to fight the fire. Reinforcements from other regions are on their way, and drones are being used to track the fire’s movements more precisely, according to Italy’s national fire service.

To ensure safety and facilitate firefighting efforts, the park authorities have suspended all activities on the trail network until further notice. Mount Vesuvius attracts nearly 620,000 visitors annually, but the recent wildfire has forced a halt to tourist access on its hiking routes. Although the smoke from the fire is visible from the Pompeii archaeological site, the site itself remains open to tourists.

Experts attribute the increasing frequency and severity of wildfires in Europe to worsening summer heatwaves driven by climate change.