Greece has called out “arsonist scum” after police made 79 arson arrests over wildfires ravaging the country. Civil Protection Minister Vassilis Kikilias said there had been several attempts by arsonists to start new fires on Mount Parnitha, north-west of Athens. The blaze is one of hundreds in the nation where wildfires have already killed at least 20 people this week. “You are committing a crime against the country,” Mr Kikilias said. “Arsonist scum are setting fires that threaten forests, property and, most of all, human lives,” Mr Kikilias told Greeks during a televised emergency briefing on Thursday. “You will not get away with it, we will find you, you will be held accountable.”

Additional coverage in the Associated Press by Elena Becatoros: More than 600 firefighters backed by water-dropping aircraft struggle to control wildfires in Greece