Firemen fighting wildfires in Sicilian town of Catania

A view of a fire at Le Capannine beach in Catania, Sicily, Italy, July 30, 2021, in this photo obtained from social media on July 31, 2021. Roberto Viglianisi/via REUTERS

MILAN (Reuters) - Firemen in Italy said on Saturday they were battling for a second straight day wildfires in Sicily that reached the town of Catania, forcing people to leave their homes and the local airport to temporarily shut down.

The firemen said on Twitter they had been conducting 250 operations in Sicily in the past 24 hours, of which 50 were in Catania alone. The city famous for its Baroque architecture is located on the slopes of Mount Etna on the island's eastern coast.