Valdilana
Valdilana is a municipality in the Province of Biella, in Piedmont. Its municipal territory includes the hamlet (frazione) of Trivero, which is in turn made up of smaller localities such as Barbato.
The fire of November 2026
On the evening of 9 November 2026 a fire broke out on the top floor of a three-storey building in the hamlet of Barbato, in Trivero, within the territory of Valdilana. An 83-year-old woman, Fiorina Festa Bianchet, lived in the flat with her 74-year-old husband [1][2].
The alarm was raised in the evening. Several teams of volunteer firefighters from Ponzone and Cossato responded, reaching the scene and rescuing the two elderly residents, bringing them out of the building [1]. Nothing could be done for the woman; her husband was taken to hospital, with reportedly minor injuries according to initial information [1][2].
According to an initial reconstruction, the fire is believed to have started from a wood-burning stove in the kitchen; for several hours the fire continued to affect the home's flue [1]. The cause of the woman's death had yet to be established, with smoke inhalation among the possibilities considered [1]. The building was placed under seizure and declared unfit for habitation [1]. The exact circumstances of the fire remained under investigation [2].
Timeline
- — In Trivero, in the municipality of Valdilana in the Biella area, a fire breaking out in a top-floor flat kills Fiorina Festa Bianchet, 83; her husband, 74, is taken to hospital with reportedly minor injuries. → Quotidiano Piemontese la Repubblica Torino
Sources
- Quotidiano Piemontese — 10 November 2026
- la Repubblica Torino — 10 November 2026