Between 15 and 18 August 2026, a wildfire broke out in the northern Italian region of Friuli and plunged the Carnia area into a multi-day state of emergency. Around 400 hectares of forest burned on Monte Amariana and the neighbouring peaks between Amaro and Tolmezzo, one settlement was evacuated as a precaution, Italian firefighting aircraft spent several days drawing water from the Austrian Weißensee in Carinthia, and Slovenian crews provided additional support with their own Air Tractor firefighting planes. Following several days of rainfall, Mayor Roberto Vicentini lifted the evacuation order on 18 August. The cross-border cooperation between Italy, Austria and Slovenia during this crisis deserves a closer look.
What happened over four days
The fire on Monte Amariana had already begun in early August, but escalated dramatically on the afternoon of Ferragosto, Saturday 15 August. As Il Messaggero Veneto documented in its daily chronology, the fire spread with particular ferocity around 17:30 and crossed onto the neighbouring Monte Amarianute within the municipal territory of Tolmezzo. The flames came within fifty metres of the settlement of Pissebus, a locality within the municipality of Tolmezzo. Overnight into Sunday, Mayor Roberto Vicentini ordered a precautionary evacuation; a total of 25 residents had to leave their homes and were housed in the "Falcone" sports hall in Tolmezzo.
Further outbreaksdeveloped simultaneously: on Monte Palavierte near Illegio, on Monte Dobis near Fusea (where arson is suspected), on Monte Festa near Cavazzo Carnico, as well as in Chiusaforte, Malborghetto and other localities. As the news agency ANSA summarised in its national assessment of the crisis summit, at peak moments more than a hundred emergency personnel were deployed in the field, alongside several helicopters and up to two Canadair firefighting aircraft in continuous operation.
Cross-border assistance: Carinthia and Slovenia
What made this crisis exceptional, beyond the usual reports of wildfires in northern Italy, was the close cooperation with neighbouring countries. Because water collection from Italian mountain lakes proved difficult owing to their location and topography, Canadair pilots regularly flew to the Carinthian Weißenseeto take on water. As the Carinthian State Alarm and Warning Centre reported on 17 August, a total of 168,000 litres of firefighting water had been drawn from the Weißensee over 31 sorties up to that point. Governor Daniel Fellner repeatedly described cross-border disaster assistance as a matter of course, and pledged continued water access for as long as Friuli required it. Cooperation between Italy and Austria is institutionalised across the Alpine region, but its visibility in this particular case was unusually high.
In addition, Slovenian Air Tractor firefighting aircraft supported the Italian units at Monte Amariana. Slovenia and Friuli share a border of over 200 kilometres, and cooperation in times of crisis is well established, though this summer it was called upon with particular intensity. In Carinthia itself, a southerly wind brought noticeable smoke to the Klagenfurt basin, the Gail and Drau valleys, and parts of southern Styria. The Carinthian State Alarm and Warning Centre recorded around 35 emergency calls relating to the smell of smoke; air quality was continuously monitored by the regional authorities, and no health protection measures for the population were deemed necessary.
The situation after four days
As of 18 August, the fire on Monte Amariana has burned through approximately 400 hectares of forest and vegetation. Regional politicians and representatives of local institutions have described it as the largest wildfire in the region's recent history. Health warnings were issued in 18 Friulian municipalities owing to particulate matter levels, with recommendations to keep windows closed and to wear FFP2 or FFP3 masks outdoors. In Tolmezzo, tap water temporarily ran brown as ash and soot entered the catchment areas.
As Il Piccolo documented in its assessment, the regional government is simultaneously conducting an investigation into the cause of the fire. Traces of alcohol and fuel were discovered in the forest at several of the fire sites, pointing to deliberate arson. Criminal proceedings against persons unknown are under way.
The political response
The political response was swift and came from the highest levels. The President of the Friuli-Venezia Giulia region, Massimiliano Fedriga, travelled to Tolmezzo together with Regional Civil Protection Minister Riccardo Riccardi and Deputy Environment Minister Vannia Gava from Rome for a crisis summit. Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi remained in continuous telephone contact with regional officials. As the Regione Friuli Venezia Giulia announced officially, a regional state of emergency was declared and an immediate budget of 1.7 million euros was made available for the affected municipalities. The Protezione Civile Friuli Venezia Giulia coordinated operations on the ground and in the air, publishing situation bulletins several times a day throughout the crisis, with details on fire sites, wind conditions, firefighting operations and road closures.
On 18 August , Mayor Vicentini finally signed Ordinanza No. 16, formally lifting the evacuation of Pissebus. Following a technical inspection by the Udine Fire Brigade command, all fire sites are considered stabilised or under control. The rainfall of recent days, totalling around ten millimetres over Amaro, has decisively eased the situation.
What travellers in the region should know
For travellersspending the summer in Friuli , the situation is largely under control. Roads around Tolmezzo, in particular the SR 125 "del Sasso Tagliato" and the access road to Illegio, remain partially closed and are expected to reopen gradually over the course of the week. Particulate matter levels are falling sharply according to Arpa Fvg, with PM10 readings back below the peaks of previous days. Those planning a hike in Carnia or the area around Monte Amariana are advised to check the current status of footpaths with the regional civil protection authority before setting out.
The current crisis forms part of the broader context of Italian wildfire season of 2026, which began as early as the start of summer in Sicily, Sardinia and Calabria and has since reached the Alpine zones as well. According to EFFIS assessments, around 11,500 hectares have burned in Italy since the beginning of the year, more than the long-term average. Particularly affected remain the fires in Sicily, which this year have destroyed a considerable number of nature reserves. The Friuli case represents the northern Italian escalation of a pattern that has defined the Italian summer of 2026 as a whole.
