Arsonists used stray cats as fire-starters during Italy’s wildfire emergency, police say

Arsonists have been accused of using stray cats as living fire-starters to ignite devastating wildfires that have ravaged southern Italy.

Investigators probing the blazes in Calabria claim they discovered evidence that cats had been fitted with rags soaked in flammable liquid, which were then set alight before the terrified animals were released into dry vegetation to spread the flames.

Candles and homemade delayed ignition devices were also reportedly found close to burnt-out areas, strengthening suspicions that many of the fires were started deliberately.

The alleged tactic emerged as firefighters battled infernos that have torn through the Pollino National Park, one of Italy’s largest protected areas, where around 1,000 hectares of vegetation have already been destroyed after days of intense firefighting.

Authorities said the combination of scorching temperatures, drought and strong winds allowed the flames to spread rapidly across the rugged landscape. 

Domenico Costarella, head of Calabria’s Civil Protection agency, described the horrifying method used by suspected arsonists.

‘These animals were released into the fields, running around and spreading the fire,’ he said. 

Mr Costarella said more than 160 fires had been recorded across Calabria in recent days, blaming many of them on what he called ‘malicious individuals’ rather than natural causes. 

Flames and thick smoke rise into the sky as wildfires ravaged the forested hills of Castelluzzo, a hamlet of San Vito Lo Capo in Italy’s Trapani province

He warned that tackling the problem would require ‘a shift in mindset… These are inhumane acts. Sadly, men are their own worst enemies.’ 

Animal welfare campaigners reacted with outrage after the allegations emerged.

Italy’s Association for the Defence of Animals and the Environment has announced a €1,000 (£870) reward for information leading to those responsible being identified and convicted, while campaigners have also lodged criminal complaints with prosecutors.

Disturbingly, investigators say this is not the first time animals have allegedly been exploited to spread wildfires in Italy.

Authorities previously linked similar attacks to organised crime groups in Sicily, where cats were allegedly used to ignite fires in the Nebrodi Regional Park in 2016. 

The following year, investigators said the Camorra mafia employed the same tactic to spark blazes in protected woodland below Mount Vesuvius, forcing evacuations and prompting the deployment of the Italian army.

Researchers have previously suggested that some deliberately lit fires are linked to criminal attempts to devalue land before buying it cheaply or to gain control of territory, although each incident is investigated on its own evidence.

In Sicily, around 6,000 firefighters, forest guards and civil protection workers have been battling dozens of blazes despite the use of water-bombing aircraft. 

Italy’s Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi confirmed that one firefighter lost his life while tackling the flames, while officials warned that exceptionally high temperatures and tinder-dry ground continue to fuel the emergency.

Flames and thick smoke rise into the sky as wildfires ravaged the forested hills of Castelluzzo

A fireman runs away from blazes as he tries to control a wildfire in New Peramos, near Athens

Across Italy, more than 11,500 hectares of land have already been scorched during the latest heatwave sweeping southern Europe.

The wildfire emergency has also spread across neighbouring countries.

In south-west France, more than 20,000 residents and holidaymakers have been evacuated after fast-moving fires ripped through thousands of hectares of pine forest west of Bordeaux. 

Authorities called in aircraft from other European nations as flames advanced towards coastal communities.

Philippe de Gonneville, mayor of Lège-Cap-Ferret, said: ‘The weather is not on our side.’

Spain is also battling multiple major wildfires, with thousands of residents ordered to flee homes west of Madrid while another enormous blaze in Guadalajara province has consumed more than 32,000 hectares.

According to the European Forest Fire Information System, around 250,000 hectares have burned across Europe so far this year – almost double the long-term average despite remaining slightly below the same point last year.