Fire authorities in Italy are still on high alert after days of devastating fires in the centre and south of the country.
Residents in Pescara on the Adriatic coast are still reeling after one of the city's worst ever blazes, which destroyed a historical nature reserve.
The alarm was raised on Sunday afternoon when wildfires which started in the hills were fanned by strong winds and 43 degree Celsius temperatures to reach the beach. Umbrellas caught light and residents and tourists were forced to flee.
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Pescara's mayor Carlo Masci said there was mass panic. "There were apocalyptic scenes of hundreds of people running from their homes crying. Dozens of people were taken to hospital."
The fire continued to rage in the Pineta Dannunziana, the nature reserve in the heart of the city, which is now blanketed in ash.
Masci said it was a sad moment in Pescara's history. "To see a natural park destroyed like this, is a tragedy... it makes you want to cry."
Beach club owner Marco Schiavone and friend Giorgio Giudice were among the first volunteers on the scene.
“We evacuated the beach and then the whole park before we raced to evacuate buildings close by, including a convent where many nuns were trapped," said Schiavone.
"We ran inside and carried many of them who were in wheelchairs down the stairs to safety," added Giudice.
Schiavone is amazed no lives were lost: "I think it would have been an even greater disaster if we weren't able to warn people, many people would have died."
Arson and havoc
The fire in Pescara was one of dozens across Abruzzo that caused significant damage and authorities believe that many of them were deliberately lit.
"Investigations are continuing but the blame could lay in the hands of arsonists who must be brought to justice because this is an act of terrorism," said Masci.
Wildfires have also caused havoc on the popular holiday islands of Sardinia and Sicily.
There were dramatic scenes in the port city of Catania as residents were evacuated by the coastguard and the airport temporarily closed as water bombing aircraft fought the flames.
Thousands of hectares of land have been destroyed and authorities warn that the danger isn't over yet as the country continues to endure record temperatures.