Thousands of wildfires have been reported across Italy in the past week as temperatures soar, the majority of them in the south of the country, and things show no sign of improving as 

Firefighting planes were deployed again overnight to tackle forest fires in the southern region of Calabria and on the island of Sicily, where flames threatened a nature reserve in the north.

They are the latest in thousands of blazes that have broken out across the peninsula in recent weeks, with one, in the west of the island of Sardinia, ravaging almost 20,000 hectares.

 On Tuesday alone,.the Italian fire brigade reported tackling 1,130 wildfires in 24 hours

1.130 interventi dei #vigilidelfuoco nelle ultime 24 ore per fronteggiare l’emergenza #incendiboschivi. Al momento squadre al lavoro su 5 incendi ancora attivi: a Santa Maria D’Irsi (MT), Condofuri (RC), Davoli (CZ), Gravina di Puglia (BA) e Nicosia (EN) [#3agosto 8:45] pic.twitter.com/wx7pCQLF1x

— Vigili del Fuoco (@emergenzavvf) August 3, 2021

Roberto Cingolani, the minister for ecological transition, told parliament on Thursday that 57.4 percent of the fires are caused by arson and 13.7 percent the result of unintentional human action.

“Our actions are responsible for more than 70 percent,” he said, adding that less than two percent of fires were down to natural causes such as lightning.

He said the impact of climate change was felt through “a reduction in the average humidity of the soil, to which are added… dry, high temperature winds.”

READ ALSO: ‘A disaster without precedent’: Sardinia wildfires ravage west of Italian island

Cingolani said he did not understand why people would start such fires, as they brought no economic benefit.

Under the law, “in areas that have been on fire, for 15 years you can’t do anything different from what was there before”, he said.

#Pescara #1agosto, l’#incendio alla pineta Dannunziana filmato dall’elicottero Drago dei #vigilidelfuoco intervenuto per lo spegnimento pic.twitter.com/nt7oxVyapv

— Vigili del Fuoco (@emergenzavvf) August 1, 2021

Turkey and Greece have also been battling major blazes this summer that officials and experts have linked to increasingly frequent and intense weather events caused by climate change.

The European Union has sent help to a number of countries including Italy and Greece in the form of planes, helicopters and firefighters from other member states.

In Sicily, firefighters in Palermo reported facing more than 40 fires inscrubland on Wednesday, which they said were “fuelled by high temperatures and the strong wind”.

The Coldiretti agricultural organisation said it would take up to 15 years to re-establish the woodlands lost by the fires, calling for more protection against blazes.

READ ALSO: What to do and what to avoid if you see a wildfire in Italy

Meanwhile, heavy rain in the north of Italy has also been causing problems, with flooding around the picturesque tourist hotspot of Lake Como.

Firefighters said they evacuated 120 people late Wednesday from a campsite in Dervio, on the eastern shore, as a precaution.

And around 100 guests were evacuated from a hotel on the northern edge after it became partially submerged in mud and debris, according to the ANSA news agency.

Experts say the climate crisis is fuelling both the frequency and intensity of such extreme weather events in Italy.

This year’s fire season has been significantly more destructive than the previous average, EU data shows.