Entirely built in wood, it was among the most beautiful in town. The neighbors: «Aid late». The mayor promises aid
“We have lost everything, we have lost everything.” Giuseppe Sensi, a radiology technician, and his wife, Lia Avalle, obstetrician at the city clinic, repeat it like a mantra, with a voice broken by sobs. Next to them the only daughter present at that moment in the house, the two brothers were away for study reasons.
In front of them, after almost six hours of battle, the firefighters continue to direct violent jets of water on what until 12.45 of the night between Wednesday and Thursday was the fairy tale home in via Miniere of a happy family, esteemed and popular in the city. It was completely destroyed by the flames. Fairytale because it was a unique construction of its kind, a fantastic chalet completely made of wood that is said to have arrived in the city expressly from Sweden at the behest of Adriano Olivetti.
“The engineer, at the time – say some neighbors – was studying the best housing solution to create a city on a human scale around his factory”. The same neighbors who recovered and brought back to the Sensi, Chanty, the labrador escaped when the flames, probably triggered by the malfunction of a heater, had started to attack the first floor of the villa. On the spot also the mayor of Ivrea, Stefano Sertoli: «I live nearby. A little before one o’clock I heard the commotion and I looked out the window. My heart almost exploded: very high flames, screams of fellow citizens: a hellish vision ». Sertoli got dressed in a hurry and immediately rushed to the place and was among the first to comfort the Sensi family: «They lost everything, they ran out without carrying even a document. They tried to stem the fire, but realized they were risking their lives. On a human level, they have all my solidarity and the closeness of the entire administration. I will spend myself to concretely help Giuseppe and Lia: we will reset the timing of all the bureaucratic processes necessary to get them back at least the documents of primary importance ». There is practically nothing left of the house. If not terror. And the anger for the late help. Upon arrival, the firefighters found dozens of angry people waiting for them. “They arrived after 40 minutes. Luckily it was a cold and windless evening. Otherwise the whole neighborhood would be on fire. Once here they were fantastic, but that delay is unforgivable, ”some residents wrote in a note sent to the newspaper. All true. But there is another truth. The firefighters of Ivrea who, paradoxically, have the barracks a five-minute walk from via Miniere were all engaged in another emergency.
The detachment of Ivrea is the second in Italy for territorial dimensions and must cover the beauty of 104 Municipalities. For years, more men and more means have been asked. The detachment of Ivrea is strategic, but the other night it also had to fall back on the teams of Volpiano, Cuorgnè, Mathi, San Maurizio Canavese, central Turin and Turin Stura.