Authorities in Italy have released drone footage said to show a suspected arsonist in action in the Calabria region, as firefighters continue to battle wildfires across the south.

Searing temperatures have scorched Sicily, Sardinia and Calabria, where dozens of fires have broken out and multiple evacuations have been ordered.

The president of the Calabria region, Roberto Occhiuto, vowed to take action against such arsonists, adding that 22 suspected arsonists had been caught via drone surveillance last year.

In the footage he released, the suspect can be seen in a woodland area, before throwing rocks at the drone.