Flights resume at Rome airport after fire: Alitalia
Rome's Fiumicino airport suspended all departing flights on Wednesday after a fire broke out in a nearby pine grove, Italian airline Alitalia said on Twitter.
Trending Photos
Rome: Flights resumed Wednesday at Rome`s Fiumicino airport after smoke from a fire in a nearby pine grove temporarily grounded planes.
Clouds of grey smoke blown by strong winds over the runways had temporarily grounded all flights at the capital city`s biggest airport, which was forced to close in May after a blaze devastated part of a terminal and had yet to fully reopen.
"Due to a fire outside Rome #Fiumicino airport all departures are suspended," Alitalia said on Twitter, while airport authorities added that arrivals were also being affected.
Teams of firefighters were tackling the fire in a pine grove in Focene, next to the airport, which appeared to have been started on purpose and had spread to engulf several vehicles in a nearby carpark.
"The situation is very serious, the blaze is about one kilometre (about half a mile) wide," said Fiumicino mayor Esterino Montino.
"The fire seems to have started in two or three different places. It`s difficult to intervene because the wind is blowing towards the pine grove."
Two fire-fighting planes and two fire-fighting helicopters were helping battle the blaze, and firefighters said the smoke was slowly clearing.