According to Aviation 24, Sirocco winds have reached closer to the airport, leaving some passengers unable to enter or leave the terminal building due to the smoke and fire spreading, EU Helpers reports.
Most of the traffic on the road is still not allowed, and trains might also encounter restrictions or delays, while several flights have already been cancelled.
On Monday, Palermo recorded a 47-celsius-degree temperature, making it the hottest day ever recorded in the city, with major damage to houses being reported.
Storms and wildfires in Italy have caused seven casualties while hundreds are being evacuated from their homes.
More specifically, wildfires in southern Italy have caused three people to be dead, as they weren’t able to leave the danger zone on time, while another four people died due to the storms that happened in the northern part of the country, including a 16-year-old that was on a camping trip, with the heavy rain causing for a tree to fall on her tent.
“We have never seen anything like it. We were surrounded by fire. We could not go anywhere. We spent the night in the square. These were terrible moments,” a San Martino delle Scale resident told Italy’s Ansa news agency, the Guardian reports.
In addition, hotels across the city reported that the number of hospitalised people and those seeking help due to heat-related illnesses had increased significantly in the last 24 hours. Hundreds of people had to be evacuated as the smoke made the air unbreathable, while hundreds of others sought help in medical centres for smoke inhalation.