Italy: Students fined €27m over barbecue that caused forest fire

The administration sanction was handed down by the forestry service based on the area of land which was affected and its value per square metre.

The fire burned more than 1,000 hectares of forest and destroyed several buildings, in one case killing pets.

Alessio Molteni and Daniele Borghi, both 22, apologised for their actions but disputed that their barbecue was the sole source of the fire.

Defence lawyer Ivana Anomali, acting for the pair, told Italian news channel TgCom24 that there was “no sense” in imposing the €27 million sanction on two students who could not pay it.

He added: “The penalty must be rehabilitating and endowed with sense.”