ROME- A large fire that broke out near Rome on Monday has claimed the lives of a mother and a daughter, the local fire service has confirmed.  

 The bodies of two women, 92-year-old Ines Scrocca and her 68-year-old daughter Rosanna Schianchi, were found by firefighters in a small building in a plot of land after a large fire broke out in via della Crocetta near Tivoli, in the Province of Rome. The police are investigating to confirm the exact cause of the women’s deaths. A man, who was also in the building, suffered from toxic smoke inhalation and was transported to hospital. The house is positioned in-between trees in an area often affected by brushwood fires.  

 Various teams of firefighters were called to deal with the blaze, as well as a Canadair aircraft. The blaze spread considerably; it reached via Tiburtina, where the smoke created problems for the road networks due to reduced visibility.

 The fire was not an isolated case on Monday, with dozens of fires being reported in Rome and its surrounding region. Two blazes broke out along via Pontina, which connects Euro to StateNature Reserve of Castelporziano to the South of Rome: one at the top of a travellers’ field and another at the top of via di Trigoria, where the junction was closed off due to the thick smoke and to allow for the firefighters’ operation. Both fires were consequently put out by the fire service. Various other fires erupted within Rome, including one more centrally in the area Africano. 

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