At least three people died on Wednesday in a fire emergency on the scorching southern island of Sicily.
The three died after a blaze broke out at a holiday farm in the town of Patti near the northeast port city of Messina.
Another two people were reported missing while three others were seriously injured and have been flown to hospitals in Naples and Catania.
At least 20 others were injured in the blaze.
Two of the dead victims were believed to be employees at the farm, including the chef.
For the past two days, firefighters have been battling fires in Sicily which have been fanned by strong winds and a heat wave, with temperatures exceeding 42 degrees Celsius in some areas.
The worst fires were around Messina and the northern coastal town of Cefalu', where dozens of residents and tourists were evacuated and local officials asked for a state of calamity to be declared.
While the situation remained critical in Sicily, major blazes were also being tackled all across the south of Italy and Defence Minister Arturo Parisi was forced on Wednesday to call on the army to help.
The defence ministry said the army and navy would supply helicopters while an army battalion would be sent to aid with the emergency in Calabria.
Firefighters tackled more than 200 fires across the south, including one in the town of Montecorice to the south of Naples where some 1,400 people had to be evacuated to safety.
Arsonists have been blamed for most of the fires that have broken out across large areas of central and southern Italy over past month.
Suspicion usually focuses on farmers seeking to clear space for agricultural purposes or construction speculators hoping to win permits to build on protected land.
The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) has urged Environment Minister Alfonso Pecoraro Scanio to offer rewards of 100,000 euros to citizens who help police catch an arsonist.
Police on Wednesday arrested a 17-year-old youth who started a fire in protected woodland near Carpino in the region of Puglia.
The teenager told police that he deliberately started the blaze because "everyone else is doing it" and he wanted to "experience the thrill".
