Investigators in Calabria say they found cats allegedly fitted with flammable-soaked rags and released to spread wildfires, along with candles and delayed-ignition devices that point to deliberate arson. Fire crews carried out more than 160 missions in 24 hours as they fought blazes near Pollino National Park. Animal-protection groups filed a criminal complaint and offered a €1,000 reward, while researchers and officials warned of links between some arson campaigns and organized-crime efforts to profit from burned land.
Grisly Tactic: Cats Allegedly Used With Burning Rags To Spread Wildfires In Southern Italy
Firefighting aircraft and helicopters try to bring a fire under control on the slopes of Mount Longa near Palermo, Sicily, Italy, on July 15, 2026. Officials in Calabria, a different region north of Sicily, say arsonists there set wildfires using cats with flammable rags tied to their tails. - Alberto Lo Bianco/Anadolu/Getty Images
Investigators probing a string of wildfires in southern Italy say they uncovered a disturbing tactic: cats allegedly found with flammable-soaked rags tied to their tails, which were then released into fields to spread flames.
What Investigators Found
Domenico Costarella of Calabria's Civil Protection Agency described the scene in a Facebook video: "These animals were released into the fields, running around and spreading the fire." Authorities also reported finding candles placed among flammable rags and devices designed to delay ignition, evidence that points to deliberate arson rather than accidental starts.
Firefighting Effort
Fire crews continued battling blazes around Calabria's Pollino National Park. Italian broadcaster RAI reported that firefighting teams completed more than 160 missions across Calabria within a 24-hour period as they worked to contain the fires.
Animal Welfare Response
Animal-protection groups moved quickly after the reports. The Italian Association for the Defense of Animals and the Environment filed a criminal complaint and offered a €1,000 reward for information leading to those responsible for setting the cats alight.
Context: Fire Season And Historical Patterns
The European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS) says this has been a challenging fire season across Europe: a wet winter produced abundant vegetation that, after several summer heatwaves, became fuel for wildfires. Although EFFIS noted that 2026 has been an overall improvement compared with some recent years, the continent’s fire activity remains above the 20-year average.
Using animals as incendiary devices is not new in southern Italy. Authorities in Sicily said in 2016 that cats were used to ignite fires in a national park, and a similar method was reported in 2017 for fires set outside Naples, near Mount Vesuvius.
Links To Organized Crime
Researchers and law-enforcement sources have linked some of these arson campaigns to organized-crime groups seeking to control territory and profit from post-fire land sales. UC Berkeley researcher Lauren Pearson told CNN that evidence shows some Mafia groups intentionally set fires to depress land values and then acquire land at a premium after it is burned.
Witnesses and investigators say organized networks have sometimes exploited Italy's energy transition. A farmer who testified to an anti-Mafia commission in 2022 reported being approached by solar developers seeking to buy his land after it had been scorched.
Sergio Nazzaro, a journalist and former spokesman for the president of the Anti-Mafia Parliamentary Commission, said Mafia organizations often benefit from emergencies through front companies and coordinated networks, "from the labor force that sets the fire to the concession to build on burned land."
Officials' Appeal
"We are getting back to work and returning to our posts, but we need a shift in mindset," Costarella said. "These are inhumane acts. Sadly, men are their own worst enemies."
Authorities continue to investigate the incidents. Animal-welfare groups and law-enforcement agencies have called for tips from the public as firefighters and communities work to contain the immediate danger and understand the motive behind the fires.
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