Overview

• On May 27 a fire broke out on the top floor of a building on via Vittorio Emanuele in Cassano delle Murge and quickly engulfed the siblings’ attic apartment.
• Fire crews from three teams worked for hours to extinguish the blaze and evacuated the entire building by around 3:30 a.m. for further safety checks.
• Investigators from the fire brigade’s arson unit and Carabinieri began examining the cause overnight and recovered a letter suggesting the fire may have been deliberately set.
• Vito Coppi, 38, and his sister Rosa, 33, were alone at home while their parents were away, with their mother in Bari caring for their hospitalized father.
• Local social services had been monitoring the family and records indicate both siblings suffered from complex health issues and depression.