Ragusa - An entire squad of 15 volunteer auxiliary firefighters is under investigation in the Sicilian city of Ragusa over allegations blazes were deliberately started so they would be called to work.
All of the 15 are being probed for alleged fraud, while some are under investigation for arson too.
The head of the team has been put under house arrest. The chief would allegedly skip shifts with the complicity of colleagues and start fires.
The volunteers would allegedly then ring the emergency services to report the blaze, or get accomplices to do so, so they would be called out to work at around 10 euros an hour.
Wildfires are a big problem for Italy at the moment, as the heat wave and a long period of drought has made the terrain highly susceptible to flames.
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