Fires raging in Northern Italy over the past two weeks have burned through almost 4,000 acres of land – forcing the evacuation of at least 1,000 people. The towns of Mompantero, Venaus and Susa are among the worst affected, according to Italy’s ANSA news.

While the cause has not yet officially been determined by authorities, arson had not been ruled out, Italy’s The Local reported. The flames spread quickly over two weeks thanks to a dry landscape and widespread debris, while inaccessible terrain hindered emergency personnel and firefighters.

Some 270 firefighters and 200 volunteers worked to contain the flames in the region of Val Di Susa, close to Turin.

“My team has been working continuously since last Sunday,” Giovanni Valentino, a volunteer firefighter in Condove, near Turin, told the newspaper La Stampa. “It never ends. The fire has returned to the same point we cleared two days ago.”

At least 60 municipalities continued to be affected by the flames, The Local reported. At least 20 firefighters were trapped by the flames near the village of Bergia. The firefighters were awaiting reinforcements after becoming surrounded by flames due to a sudden reversal of wind in the night that caused the fire to reverse directions. At least one person was killed by the flames: a 26-year-old man reportedly died while trying to help his family escape the fires.

More than 333,000 acres of land have already been burned in Italy this year so far.

“It’s a tremendous effort, considering that serious fires have continued since October 10th,” said Franco Licini, a coordinator for Piemonte’s civil protection unit. “The situation has been aggravated in recent days by strong, hot and dry wind coming down from the Alpine range.”

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