Two dead and 13 injured in San Vito residential building fire in Lucca

Nighttime blaze in San Vito

A deadly fire broke out around 23:30 on Thursday night inside a three-story residential building located at the intersection of Via Bertini and Via Corsica in Lucca. The building is situated in the San Vito neighborhood, where flames rapidly engulfed portions of the premises and forced occupants to seek urgent escape routes. Firefighters arrived on the scene as flames spread from what initial assessments indicate was a bedroom on the ground floor. Two victims, a man and a woman, died inside the structure, and emergency responders recovered their bodies after fully extinguishing the blaze. Rescue crews carried out several urgent evacuations, successfully bringing a newborn baby out of the building to safety. Trapped residents and families had fled onto balconies to escape the thick smoke and heat while waiting for ladder crews to reach them.

Hospital distribution and medical triage

The fire resulted in 13 injured residents, including multiple children, who were evaluated and triaged by paramedics before being transported to regional medical centers. A woman in her fifties suffered severe burns and was classified under code red before transfer to the specialized Severe Burn Center at the hospital in Pisa. Three additional injured individuals were taken under code yellow to the emergency room at the hospital in Lucca. Five casualties, consisting of two adults and three children, were admitted under code yellow to the Versilia hospital. The emergency department in Pisa received four other patients, including one injured person in code yellow and three individuals, two adults and one child, classified under code green.

Emergency mobilization and regional coordination

First responders dispatched nine emergency vehicles to treat victims and transport patients across the provincial medical network. The initial response brought a Lucca medical car, a medicalized ambulance from the Misericordia of Montecarlo, and a nursing ambulance from Croce Verde Lucca to the scene. Emergency operations also mobilized specialized rescue crews and ambulances from Misericordia, Anpas, and the Italian Red Cross from both Lucca and Versilia. The 118 Alta Toscana operational center oversaw the primary dispatch, while coordinating directly with the 118 Livorno-Pisa center. Emergency planners also alerted the Regional Maxi Emergency Coordination division and placed regional air rescue helicopters on standby. The regional coordination ensured that specialized emergency structures across Lucca, Pisa, and Versilia were prepared to receive patients.

Building safety and ongoing investigations

After firefighters brought the flames under control and extinguished remaining hotspots, structural evaluations confirmed that the entire three-story apartment building is uninhabitable. Officers from the Italian State Police and technical investigators from the fire department launched an inquiry to establish the official cause of the blaze. Municipal officials in Lucca mobilized social services to arrange temporary emergency housing for all displaced tenants left without shelter. Technical personnel and forensic investigators remained at the property on Via Bertini to inspect the electrical systems and structural condition of the burned units.