Italy's firefighters contain Lipari blaze but more work to be done

Italian firefighters have extinguished a blaze on Lipari, a small volcanic island off Sicily, after the flames briefly threatened houses near the village of Santa Margherita.

No one was injured, the fire brigade said on Saturday, adding that crews battled the flames into the early hours of morning.

On Sicily itself, fire fighters continue to battle a large-scale blaze near Palermo.

Italy is suffering from extreme drought this summer, with the south of the country particularly affected by forest fires which are mostly caused by human negligence or arson.

Earlier this week, a fire broke out on the Mediterranean island of Pantelleria, forcing star designer Giorgio Armani to leave his luxury villa on the island, located halfway between Sicily and Tunisia.

Local media also reported of a major blaze that had ignited Saturday near Sos Alinos, in north-eastern Sardinia. Flames were reportedly only a few 100 metres away from the buildings.

As the country was hoping for some relief from the extreme heat, intense thunderstorms in the north of Italy caused flooding, severe damage, injuries and two deaths on Wednesday and Thursday.

Meteorologists expect rainfall in the south of the country and in Sicily in the coming week. In central and northern Italy, however, summer temperatures of up to 30 degrees Celsius are forecast.