Giorgio Armani rescues people from wildfire on his yacht

Officials suspect possible arson in two wildfires

After wildfires broke out on the Italian island of Pantelleria, fashion icon Giorgio Armani needed to escape his vacation home in the middle of the night.

Two different wildfires were blazing overnight across the island, located off the coast of Sicily.

To escape the flames, Armani and others took refuge on the designer’s luxury yacht, the Daily Beast reports.

Video footage shows fiery-hot orange flames roaring on the side of the island’s hills.

The flames did not reach the fashion mogul’s villa, and no structures appear to have been damaged. But dozens of people were forced to evacuate as firefighters used planes and on-the-ground staff to keep the fires at bay.

Those who didn’t escape to Armani’s yacht sought shelter elsewhere on the island.

“After the great fear of last evening and the night spent at work, Pantelleria is returning to normal,” the island’s mayor, Vincenzo Campo said. “It seems the worst is over.”

An official has said that arson is suspected in both of the wildfires.

The Armani press office has told the Daily Beast that Mr Armani will go back to the island after getting the OK from fire officials.

Pantelleria, a popular vacation and tourist spot, home to about 8,000 people, is known for its sweet wines and historical artifacts. Archaeological sites on the island include structures dating back thousands of years.

Giorgio Armani, now 88 years old, has owned property on the island since 1979.

Whether or not this was an intentional start, droughts can help fires spread over a landscape. Much of Europe, including parts of nearby Sicily, have faced dry conditions in the past few months, according to the European Drought Observatory.

Parts of Tunisia in northern Africa, located south of the island, have also been dry recently.

Wildfires are also burning in Spain and Portugal, which have both been exceptionally dry this summer. In Portugal, a fire has burned 64,000 acres in Serra da Estrela national park, about one-and-a-half times the size of Washington, DC.

The United Nations has warned that as the planet heats up, wildfires could get more common and more intense, especially as drought dries out landscapes. By 2050, the world could see up to 30 per cent more extreme fires, they add.

The Associated Press contributed to this report