According to civil protection officials and media, two people died on Friday in forest fires in northern Sicily, where a hotel with 700 tourists was also evacuated for a few hours.
A 42-year-old woman died while trying to save her horses in Cefalú, east of Palermo, Italian civil protection said on Friday evening. She was accompanied by her father and brothers but may have been disoriented by the heat and smoke before slipping into a ravine.
A 68-year-old man also died after escaping his burning home near Balestrate, west of Palermo, the Italian news agency Ansa said on Saturday.
Around 700 guests at the Costa Verde Hotel near Cefalú were evacuated to a local gym late Friday but were able to return to their accommodation around 2 a.m. Saturday after the fire threat had passed, the Ansa agency also said.
Rain is forecast for several days from Saturday, facilitating the work of firefighters who were very active throughout the north of Sicily on the night from Friday to Saturday.