Over 20 hurt as fire tears through Lake Garda campsite in Italy

A large fire swept through the Bella Italia campsite in Peschiera del Garda, on the shores of Lake Garda in Italy's Verona province, in the early hours of October 4, 2026. The alarm was raised shortly before 6 a.m. local time, according to Il Resto del Carlino and the news agency Dire.

Flames spread across several rows of wooden and plastic bungalows, destroying an estimated 20 to 30 mobile homes as well as a number of parked cars, including one van that burned down completely, Il Resto del Carlino reported. A tall column of smoke was visible for kilometers, according to Dire.

How many people were injured

Outlets gave different totals for the number of injured. Dire and Open reported that 24 people were taken to hospital: one was listed in serious or critical condition ('red code'), seven were classified as moderately injured ('yellow code'), and 16 had minor injuries ('green code'). Il Resto del Carlino, however, reported a lower total, saying seven people were taken to the emergency room.

According to Il Resto del Carlino, those seven were all foreign tourists except for one member of the campsite's security staff, and three of them were minors. It is not stated in the available sources how this count of seven relates to the 24 figure reported elsewhere.

The patients were taken to Ospedale Pederzoli, with a regional 'maxi-emergency' hospital protocol activated to make capacity available across Veneto, Open reported.

One victim suffered third-degree burns to the legs, while most other injuries were linked to smoke or carbon monoxide inhalation, according to Il Resto del Carlino and Open.

Emergency response and complications

About 20 firefighters with five vehicles were deployed, backed up by six ambulances from the regional emergency service SUEM 118 and Carabinieri officers, according to Dire and Il Resto del Carlino. Reinforcement crews were sent from Brescia to support teams from Verona, Il Resto del Carlino reported.

Firefighting operations were complicated by the presence of LPG gas cylinders used at the campsite and by parked vehicles close to the burning bungalows, both outlets reported. An explosion was heard during the operation, according to all three sources; Open quoted one tourist describing being 'awakened by a tremendous blast, it felt like being in war.'

Four German firefighters from Dietzenbach who happened to be vacationing at the campsite stepped in to help fight the fire before official crews arrived, according to Il Resto del Carlino and Open. Veneto's regional council president, Luca Zaia, thanked the group in a statement reported by Il Resto del Carlino and Open.

What is known about the cause

Investigators believe the fire started accidentally inside one of the bungalows, according to Il Resto del Carlino, though the precise cause had not been confirmed at the time of reporting. Open said authorities were examining the possibility that an accidental explosion of an LPG gas cylinder triggered the blaze, among other hypotheses.

Dire reported that the cause remained officially unclear as fire crews continued securing the site after the flames were extinguished.

What happens next

At the time of reporting, investigators had not announced a final cause for the fire, and the full extent of the material damage had not been quantified. Local authorities and fire services were continuing to secure the site after the blaze was brought under control, according to Dire.