Calabria wildfires: authorities probe use of cats as arson weapons

Authorities in Calabria are investigating a grim tactic deployed by arsonists during wildfires that swept the region this week: setting cats alight and releasing them to ignite blazes in dry vegetation. CNN reported Wednesday that officials probing the fires discovered cats with flammable-soaked rags tied to their tails, suggesting a deliberate strategy to spread fire across multiple locations simultaneously. The discovery underscores both the scale of the arson investigation and the desperation of those intent on destruction.

The fires coincided with extreme heat gripping southern Europe, where France recorded more than 5,700 excess deaths during its June heatwave, according to Guardian reporting, and wildfires across Spain, France and Italy killed three firefighters in the past 48 hours, France 24 reported Thursday. The combination of record temperatures and human-set blazes has strained emergency services across the Mediterranean. Calabria, with its hot summers and parched inland terrain, remains particularly vulnerable to rapid fire spread once ignition occurs.