Three dead in Sicily fires

Wind-whipped fires that have been ravaging parts of Sicily, reached a hotel near the port city of Messina today, killing three people and leaving another two missing, authorities said.

Fire crews had been battling the blaze in Patti and other locations around Messina for hours when the fire reached the Hawk’s Refuge, a hotel within a working farm, an official at the Messina fire department said.

Three people were killed: one inside the hotel, another who was probably trying to escape was found near his car and the third died at the hospital, said Carmelo Mussolino, cabinet deputy at the Messina prefect’s office.

Elsewhere in Sicily, fire crews were battling another blaze in the hills above the Sicilian seaside resort town of Cefalu which prompted a local hospital to suspend surgeries as a precaution.

No injuries were reported from that fire, which began yesterday evening, said Andrea Garifo, a fire official in the nearby town of Termini Imerese.

About 20 to 30 people were evacuated from residences, Garifo said.