Italian park president Leo Autelitano on Tuesday called for more firefighting aircraft, saying forest fires were spreading further across Aspromonte National Park in southern Italy, and threatening to destroy the entire nature reserve.

Autelitano said further fires were reported in Zomaro in the north of the Calabrian nature reserve, listed as a UNESCO Global Geopark for its unique location and landscape.

He said the flames were within one kilometer of one of the park’s most important biodiversity areas, while other fires in the park were spreading or flaring up again.

“We urgently need aircraft on all fronts, otherwise the whole park will be burned in an unprecedented disaster,” he added.

A map produced by the European Union’s Copernicus Emergency Management System showed several fires within the boundaries of the park.

A video showed dense smoke rising from a wooded hillside and flames raging through the vegetation.

Firefighters said they were operating two firefighting aircraft in the San Luca area the west of the park.

Numerous wildfires were still blazing elsewhere in Italy too, as a heatwave brought temperatures of up to 45 degrees Celsius to some places, while hot winds continued to spread the flames.

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In Sicily and Sardinia, the Civil Protection Department predicted an increased fire risk for large parts of both islands.

According to the ANSA news agency, Agriculture Minister Stefano Patuanelli visited Sardinia where fires have caused considerable damage to farmland, especially in the western part of the island.