Firefighters worked Thursday to put out the remnants of two wildfires on a Sicilian island that forced fashion designer Giorgio Armani and dozens of others to flee their vacation villas overnight.
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A photo from the island of Pantelleria showed flames appearing to encroach on Armani's villa, but the Italian designer's press office said they stopped short of the property. Armani and guests evacuated to a boat in the harbor.
The head of the region's civil protection agency, Salvatore Cocina, said arson was suspected in two wildfires that forced around 30 people to seek refuge in boats or on safer parts of the island. Firefighters used Canadair planes to douse the flames, along with ground teams to protect homes. Authorities said no structures appeared to have been lost.
The island's mayor, Vincenzo Campo, told Italian news agency ANSA that two planes were working on putting out the last flames on difficult terrain and that the wind had dropped off.
"After the great fear of last evening and the night spent at work, Pantelleria is returning to normal," Campo said. "It seems the worst is over."
