A single, safe ignition point, on a steep slope of one of the two hills overlooking Punta Molentis, was discovered by officers from the Forestry Corps' Investigative Unit after a group of young people tipped them off, and they were the first to raise the alarm after seeing the smoke. And that's not all.

While help was arriving, two people on a scooter also went to try to put out the initial blaze, but they were unsuccessful because the fire was now untameable.

It was not yet 2:00 PM on Sunday, when just minutes later, the hills surrounding one of the most beautiful beaches on Sardinia's southern coast, Villasimius, were transformed into an inferno of smoke and fire. No one was injured thanks only to the skill of rescuers, who rescued 200 swimmers by sea, but the environmental and economic damage (a kiosk and dozens of cars destroyed) was extensive.

Investigators led by Cagliari Chief Prosecutor Rodolfo Sabelli and prosecutor Andrea Vacca, the lead investigator, visited the scene yesterday.

Francesco Pinna's article on the investigation into the Punta Molentis fire is available now in L'Unione Sarda's digital edition.

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