Cilento, fire rages through Elea-Velia Archaeological Park

A fire, the nature of which has yet to be clarified, raged between the evening of June 18 and the morning of June 19 over the Elea-Velia Archaeological Park, which is part of the Cilento-Vallo di Diano-Alburni National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The flames would also have touched the archaeological remains, affecting part of the Northern Quarter, the Archaic Quarter, the Porta Rosa street, part of the Western Quarter, the Porta Rosa, while only the Villa degli Affreschi would be touched. No damage to structures would result, but urgent checks are needed. Meanwhile, the Superintendence has ordered the closure of the site for investigation.

Now, in the Cilento region, there is hope that everything will return to normal as soon as possible, although concern about the fire is compounded by concern about the tightness of the ground by the time the rains come. In the meantime, the Genius Loci Cilento association sent a note this morning to the General Secretariat of the Ministry of Cultural Heritage urging the sending of inspectors and the installation of thermal imaging cameras. We reproduce the full text:

To Arch. Antonia Maria Recchia
Secretary General at MiBACT
mbac-sg@mailcert.beniculturali.it

Subject: Fire Unesco site of Elea-Velia.

Dear Director,

by reason of his responsibilities in the field of cultural heritage safety, the undersigned Dr. Giuseppe Di Vietri, as President of the association Genius Loci Cilento and as quisque de populo, is anxious to bring to the attention of Their Offices the serious fire that has affected the Unesco site of the Archaeological Park of Elea-Velia, in the province of Salerno, within the National Park of Cilento - Vallo di Diano - Alburni.

The fire, some images of which are attached as a partial representation, took place between the evening of June 18 and the morning of June 19 and affected large core areas but also contiguous areas identified as buffer zones by Regional Law 5 of 2005 (which provided, on the part of the Superintendency and the municipalities of Ascea and Casalvelino, for the elaboration of a detailed redevelopment plan that has been awaited for a good 12 years now). The dynamics are still unclear as well as the identification of responsibility profiles in the form of arson or negligence. There are frequent arson fires, most recently last September, never of an intimidating nature and often caused by the desire to make the growth of wild asparagus for harvesting more fertile. Fortunately, the major structures were not damaged and the recent grass cutting was providential in this regard, nevertheless the fire was very violent and required air support. Much of the promontory was affected, north and south sides, part of the Northern Quarter, the Archaic Quarter, Via di Porta Rosa, part of the Western Quarter. Porta Rosa was also reached by the flames and fortunately only lapped the Villa degli Affreschi.

There is also concern about the consequential increase in hydrogeological risk factors in a delicate area that has a history of disruption that is still ongoing.

By virtue of what I have outlined, the Genius Loci Cilento association invites Their Offices to take action as they see fit, allowing us to earnestly solicit the dispatch of ministerial inspectors, a minimum measure when a World Heritage site is on fire.

Secondly, we advance the proposal to equip the Archaeological Park with fire-fighting measures with suitable performance levels to make the rescue effort rapid and unscathed. Such a solution is necessary for Elea-Velia given the frequency with which these fires occur and the nature of the places and the vegetation, which is composed mainly of Mediterranean scrub: in this context, the flames spread quickly, reaching, moreover, areas that are difficult for rescuers to reach. There is a need to decrease the response time through a terrestrial monitoring activity to be realized through the installation of a system of thermal cameras, which activates the alarm when certain parameters are exceeded, to be installed stand-alone with photovoltaic panels or accumulators in such a way as to allow the operation of sensors and communication systems. With Ossequio

Giuseppe Di Vietri - President of the Genius Loci Cilento Association"

Photo Credit: Genius Loci Cilento - several photos of the fire damage were posted on the Facebook page.

Cilento, fire rages through Elea-Velia Archaeological Park

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