A fire broke out at a hotspot for migrants on the island of Lampedusa. No one was injured but there was light damage.
This fire occurred in the same central pavilion that was damaged in an arson in 2009. The fire broke out on the top floor of the hotspot's first pavilion, and also affected the cavity wall of the attic, which partially collapsed. Three teams of firefighters worked to put out the blaze, including the on-site firefighting team assigned to monitor the structure. None of the 150 Tunisian citizens hosted at the structure were injured, but the pavilion suffered slight damage. According to police and firefighters, the fire was allegedly started by some Tunisian guests in the structure, as in fires at other pavilions in 2011 and 2016.
Migrants slept on church stairs in protest
Immediately after firefighters put out the flames, the 150 Tunisian migrants decided to sleep on the stairs of the main church in Lampedusa in a sign of protest. The migrants have been asking for several weeks to be transferred to other Italian reception centres. In recent months, many Tunisians on Lampedusa have staged various protests, including some who sewed their mouths shut with a needle and thread, staying on the church steps for weeks. According to complaints filed with the police and Carabinieri, migrants have been responsible for several crimes, damaging dozens of homes that the island's residents use to host tourists during the summer season.