Airport In Catania Closed Until Wednesday Due To Fire, There Was A Heat Weather Warning

Airport in Catania, Sicily. (Twitter/@CTAairport)

JAKARTA - The airport in Catania City, Sicily, which is close to several major tourist attractions in eastern Sicily, has been closed until Wednesday due to a fire, the management company wrote on Twitter.

The fire broke out on Sunday evening and there were no injuries, the airport said.

Had announced the closure until 14:00 local time on Monday. The closure was extended until Wednesday at the same time.

"Due to the fire that occurred at the airport, flight operations were stopped until 14.00 on Monday 17 July. No injuries were reported. We thank the Fire Brigade, state agencies, first aid, and airport communities for acting quickly," the airport management wrote on Twitter.

"The flight operation was suspended until 14:00 on Wednesday 19 July," the airport manager tweeted hours later.

Ansa news agency reported thick smoke at the bottom of airport facilities after the fire broke out, causing people to flee the airport shouting and panicking.

Meanwhile, firefighters said they managed to tame the fire about 90 minutes after being called, but gave no details on possible causes or links to the current high temperature in the region.

Le operazioni di volo sono sospese fino alle 14:00 di mercoledì 19 luglio. #CTAairport

— Aeroporto di Catania (@CTAairport) July 17, 2023

Le operazioni di volo sono sospese fino alle 14:00 di merceroledmen 19 luglio. #CTAairport

As previously reported, Spain, Italy, and Greece have experienced very hot temperatures over the past few days, damaging agriculture and making tourists rush to find shelter.

The new anticyclone, dubbed Charon, which in Greek mythology means 'death miner', moved into the region from northern Africa on Sunday and could increase temperatures above 45 degrees Celsius (113 degrees Fahrenheit) in parts of Italy earlier this week.

Catania was among several cities in Italy that imposed heat weather warnings on Sunday, along with Sisilia's capital Palermo and the island's third-largest city, Messina, as the country prepares to face record high temperatures in the coming days.

"We need to prepare for a great hot storm that, day by day, will blanket the whole country," said Italian weather news service Meteo.it, on Sunday.

"In some places the previous heat record will be broken," he continued.

Italian Health Minister Orazio Schillaci said people need to be careful. In addition to the Italian capital, health warnings were imposed from downtown Florence to Palermo in Sicily and Bari, while temperatures were also starting to rise further north.

Europe's highest temperature recorded at 48.8C (119.8F), recorded in Sicily two years ago, could be surpassed in the coming days, especially on the island of Sardinia, Italy, meteorologists say.

Catania Airport is regularly used by tourists heading to places such as Mount Etna and Taormina, which are about 70 kilometers (43.5 miles) away, and Siracusa, with its Greek Theater and historic center on Ortigia Island.