Rome.- A drone controlled by the fire prevention services recorded a 10-year-old boy while he caused a fire in the Calabria region, according to what its president Roberto Occhiuto denounced on social networks.
“Two images from today particularly caught my attention: One is about a boy who is setting fire in a forest like a pro, starting several fires from a distance, then notices the drone, runs to his grandfather, mounted on a tractor,” explained the politician.
In the video it can be seen that the adult gave instructions to the minor, since after cursing the device for having caught him “red-handed” he set out to put out the fires immediately.
The other images show a group of people spreading potentially flammable waste in a forest, near a river.
The Calabria region has deployed some thirty drones as a form of deterrence and to identify the architects of some of the fires that are burning these days in the country.
“Thanks to the drones we caught 32 arsonists in two weeks,” Occhiuto said.
In fact, a few weeks ago its president released another video in which an arsonist was recorded while he set fires in a cane field, until he noticed and tried to make the device fall by throwing stones.
«Calabria is a civilized region but it also has some morons who are going to start fires in the forest like this arsonist. He lights the fire, then sees the drone and tries to knock it down with rocks, but where does it come from? From the caves?» Occhiuto then denounced.
Scenes like this have led to the fact that in the latest decree of the Council of Ministers, the Italian Executive has increased from four to six years the minimum sentence for those who cause a fire in “forests, jungles or mountains or in forest nurseries destined for reforestation, their own or others».
Southern Italy has suffered devastating fires in recent weeks, fueled by the drought and the Charonte heat wave, which caused temperatures above 46 degrees and is expected to not be the only one to raise the thermometers this summer.
In addition to Calabria, the Italian islands have suffered greatly from the fires: in Sicily three people died (two of them burned), there were more than 2,000 evacuees and the airport was closed due to the proximity of the flames.
For its part, in Sardinia at least three people were injured by explosions derived from the fires and more than 600 inhabitants and tourists had to be evacuated.
