Fire on a farm in the Sienese area, it was confiscated from the mafia - Chronicle

Siena, 18 August 2020 – The firefighters intervened last night, 4 am, in Monteroni d’Arbia (Siena) at the Suvignano farm, for a fire that involved about 700 round bales of hay and about 250 quintals of alfalfa seed and clover. The fire affected a warehouse of about 2000 square meters, which also contained an operating machine, a trailer and a pick-up. The causes of the flames are to be ascertained.

There are no people involved. The Suvignano company is known as an example of infiltration by the mafia in Tuscany and was then confiscated by the state over time. It was subsequently assigned to the Tuscany Region which manages it through Ente Terre. The ‘path of legality’ was recently inaugurated near the estate, a path connected to the Via Francigena.

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And in this company, on the day of the inauguration, he also went Salvini when he was minister: he had bathed in the pool.

In the early afternoon, the regional councilor for the presidency and the culture of legality, Vittorio Bugli, went to the place (HERE THE VIDEO).

INQUIRY BY THE PROSECUTOR – The prosecutor of Siena has opened an investigation into the fire and seized the area affected by the flames. Among the hypotheses being examined by the investigators, according to what is learned, the hypothesis of a malicious cause is not excluded. The fire was extinguished in the morning, now carabinieri and firefighters are carrying out the surveys. Local health authorities and Arpat were also on site for checks on the asbestos roof which went completely up in smoke.

DAMAGES – The damage caused by the fire that last night affected the Suvignano farm would amount to about 800 thousand euros. This is a first estimate released this morning during the press conference that was held at the estate and which was attended by the regional councilor for the presidency and culture of legality Vittorio Bugli, and the director of Ente Terre Marco Locatelli, the subject to whom the Region has assigned the management of the farm confiscated to the mafia.

According to the commissioner, the first findings made could suggest a malicious origin even if it is too early to reach conclusions. As stated by the President of the Region, it is a confiscated asset that over the years has been converted into a significant productive activity. While waiting for the investigations to ascertain what actually happened, it is possible to state that the Region will continue to work to ensure that Suvignano continues to be what it has been decided to be, a reality of healthy work and an economy that respects rights and the territory. No region, the president said in conclusion, is immune to the infiltration of the mafia, not even Tuscany, but here there are the antibodies to defend and react.

As the regional councilor for the presidency explained, from the first investigations there could be elements that could suggest an arson; adding, however, that it is too early to reach conclusions in this sense. The commissioner then added that Suvignano represents an important and precious place and that when such events occur, great attention must be paid and nothing is overlooked. It would be a problem, he continued, if what happened were attributable to something that the Region is committed to contrast with the creation of this place.

The commissioner then assured that the Region will follow step by step the investigations carried out by the competent authorities and that the commitment made in recent years will not be affected by what happened last night, but rather that it will be strengthened. For now, he concluded, both the Region and Ente Terre have not yet received any signs that could suggest episodes or worrying elements. The director of Ente Terre explained that the fire affected a warehouse over 2000 square meters. 700 round bales were burned, as well as forage and two silos containing sunflower and barley seeds. A tractor, the tractor trailer used for hay transport, a pickup truck and the external part of the shed were also destroyed. From a first estimate the damage is around 800 thousand euros, without considering the costs of reclamation and disposal of the destroyed vehicles.

The estate, about 700 hectares in the municipalities of Monteroni d’Arbia and Murlo in the province of Siena, was confiscated from the mafia and since 2019 has been managed by the Region (through Ente Terre) and has become the symbol of assets in Tuscany torn from organized crime and returned to the community. On 29 July, on the occasion of the celebrations of the two years since his return to the availability of citizens, he inaugurated the ‘Path of legality’, a real path, inside the property, which tells what the Region has done and does on the front of the culture of legality and anti-mafia, the initiatives with young people on the fields torn from organized crime (first in Sicily and Calabria and today in Tuscany), the history of the estate and its rebirth also from a business point of view, with its cultures, its farms and accommodation rented to tourists.

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