Sicily fires prompt state of emergency

Sicily has declared a state of emergency as deadly wildfires rage across southern Italy.

The regional government of Sicily on Saturday declared a state of emergency and crisis for six months due to the wildfires that have been raging on the island since the end of July.

Regional president Nello Musumeci said in a Facebook post explaining his decision that unusually high temperatures and abnormal weather conditions will continue to present a risk in the coming weeks.

Meanwhile, in Calabria, the bodies of a man and a woman were discovered at a farm in San Lorenzo on Friday after the blaze engulfed a stable and another building.

The pair had been trying to save an olive grove from the flames, Italy's ANSA news agency reports.

Swathes of southern Italy have been battling wildfires for days, with Calabria, Sicily and Puglia worst affected.

In Sardinia, the fire brigade in Oristano province reported a blaze had broken out at tourist accommodation on Saturday morning.

The fire brigade prevented the flames from spreading to nearby vegetation, they said. No casualties were reported.

Oristano, on the west coast of the Mediterranean island, has grappled with major forest fires recently, causing extensive damage.

Unusually high temperatures of more than 40 degrees Celsius are causing drought throughout the southern part of Italy, fuelling the fires.

Many of them are thought to have been started deliberately.

The Coldiretti agricultural association described the summer as the hottest in a decade.