ROME, July 11 (Xinhua) -- Multiple wildfires raged across Italy's southern Sicily region on Tuesday, while the number of blazes in the Italian capital increased almost fourfold over the level of last year, authorities and local media reported.
The Civil Protection Department received 18 calls for interventions from eight different regions, including three from Sicily and Basilicata respectively, and four from the Campania region in the south.
Overall, 16 Canadair water-dropping planes, four helicopters of the Civil Protection, and three helicopters from the Defense Ministry were deployed in support to firefighters on the ground, the agency said in a statement.
The situation was seen as particularly critical around the Sicilian city of Messina, where firefighters have worked continuously through Monday night to try to keep fires under controls, according to La Repubblica newspaper.
The hills around the city have been burning for some three days so far.
Though fires did not pose direct threat to residential areas, it's getting close to Messina's university district on Monday evening with heavy black smoke rising into sky, causing disruption to local traffic and major transport routes.
A limited evacuation order was issued Monday night for people living near the university and in two other districts.
Conditions improved around mid-Tuesday, yet some 70 officers were still at work in at least four areas of Messina, using 15 land vehicles and three Canadair planes, the Fire Department Tweeted.
Sicily's regional governor Rosario Crocetta was due to visit the city, and meet with the local council, along the day.
Local authorities suspected the fires of being manmade.
"We are sure that men are behind these acts, causing irreparable damages and limitless risks," Ansa news agency quoted Messina mayor Renato Accorinti as saying.
Wildfires also broke out on the slopes of Mount Vesuvius on the Gulf of Naples, and in the Gargano peninsula in the southern Apulia region on Tuesday.
The situation grew difficult in the Italian capital as well with the number of blazes since June 1 almost four times compared to the same period of last year, the municipality said in a statement.
"This (happens) also because of the exceptionally dry conditions," Raggi wrote on his official account on Facebook.
Rome mayor said she called an emergency meeting with the prefecture to assess further measures in latest hours, and a request to keep the alert high was issued to all of the city's administrative districts.
