Fire tears through Lake Garda campsite, one seriously hurt, dozens treated

A fire tore through dozens of mobile homes at the Bella Italia campsite in Peschiera del Garda, on the southern shore of Lake Garda, in the early hours of Sunday, Italian news agency ANSA reported. One person suffered serious burns to both legs, and around 20 others were treated at the scene for smoke or carbon monoxide exposure, with seven taken to hospital in Peschiera del Garda, ANSA said.

The alarm was raised shortly before 6am, La Stampa reported. Fire brigade records showed one person in the most serious triage category, seven in a less urgent category and 16 with minor injuries, the newspaper said, putting the total treated at 24. Twenty firefighters with five vehicles, backed by six ambulances from the Suem 118 emergency service, were sent to the scene, La Stampa said.

The blaze destroyed about 20 to 30 mobile homes and several cars, and completely burned out a van, ANSA reported. Rescue efforts were complicated by gas cylinders and parked cars near the burning units, and by an explosion heard at one point during the operation, La Stampa said. The fire took around 11 hours to put out completely, ANSA said. "I was woken by an enormous bang; it felt like being in a war," one foreign tourist at the campsite told ANSA.

Among those hurt were six tourists, including three minors, and a security guard at the campsite, ANSA reported, citing local authorities. One suffered third-degree burns to the legs, while the rest showed signs of carbon monoxide inhalation; none was in serious condition and most were discharged soon afterwards, ANSA said.

Four off-duty German firefighters from Dietzenbach, who were holidaying at the campsite, joined the effort to fight the blaze, Veneto regional president Luca Zaia said, thanking them publicly, according to ANSA.

A candle in a caravan probably started the fire, Dutch outlet NU.nl reported, citing Italian authorities, though investigators have not formally confirmed a cause and have not ruled out other possibilities. Peschiera del Garda mayor Orietta Gaiulli said she believed the response was swift and had helped avoid a worse outcome, adding that the campsite's fire-prevention system had been serviced only last summer, ANSA reported.