Sicilian firefighters detained after 'starting fires so they can get paid to put them out' during Italian heatwave

Ringleader placed under house arrest

Wildfires have spread across southern Europe, including Sicily, over the last month (AFP)

More than a dozen volunteer firefighters in Sicily have been accused of deliberately starting fires so they would be paid to extinguish them.

One person has been arrested and a total of 15 firefighters were detained after they reportedly rang the emergency number themselves or asked their friends or family members to call.

The commander also allegedly skipped shifts to start the fires. He was placed under house arrest as he allegedly continued starting fires after other volunteers had stopped.

The team came under suspicion as they were called out more frequently than other local groups.

The team in Ragusa responded to 120 incidents, compared with 40 incidents dealt with others in the summers of 2013 and 2014, police said.

A team member would set off in their car, light a fire and make a false report, then come back to the fire station and wait to be called to put it out.

“He [the ringleader] demonstrated a sharp criminal ability and had no fear about the consequences of his behaviour,” the police statement said.

“On one occasion, D D V [nickname of ringleader] even said he wanted to set off a bomb so as to take the money available if the emergency vehicles needed to be repaired.”

Each firefighter was paid about €10 (£9) per hour.

Italian publications reported that most of the detained officers admitted to starting the fires deliberately.

Fires in the Ragusa district in southern Sicily come as the region suffers a sweltering heatwave with temperatures moving above 40°C, which dries out the land and makes wildfires more common.

Other countries in Europe, including Spain, Portugal, southern France and the Balkans, have experienced hotter than normal temperatures this summer.

Additional reporting by agencies