130 arsonists made Italy burn: police

Most of the devastating and deadly wildfires that tore through southern Italy this summer were deliberately lit, Italian police say.

Nearly 130 suspected arsonists have been reported and four have been arrested the Carabinieri announced in Rome on Monday.

In addition, administrative offences totalling 530,000 euros ($A865,392) have been filed in connection with forest fires, they said.

Most of the forest and bush fires between June and August were started intentionally or through carelessness. People had used the fires to renew pastures or to take revenge on the public administration, they said. Vandalism was also a reason.

This year, according to the police, the regions of Calabria, Campania and Apulia in southern Italy as well as the large islands of Sardinia and Sicily were particularly affected by fires.

The ongoing drought, heat and strong winds had also contributed to their spread.

Flames have been raging in many parts of the country since the end of July. Since then, the Civil Defence has sent fire-fighting planes to the affected regions on a daily basis.

In some cases, the fires also reached residential areas. In Calabria, five people died in connection with the fires, according to media reports.

The fire brigades intervened tens of thousands of times to tackle the fires all over the country. There was considerable damage to agriculture. The flames also destroyed areas in protected nature parks.