"Arsonist scum are setting fires that threaten forests, property and, most of all, human lives," Kikilias said in a televised news briefing on Thursday, telling perpetrators, "You will not get away with it. We will find you, you will be held accountable."

Government spokesperson Pavlos Marinakis told Greeks via the nation's public broadcaster that 140 people had been arrested in connection with the wildfires, and of those, 79 were arson-related.

As Sky News reports, authorities have been trying to figure out if the alleged arsonists were lone attackers, or working together. Supreme Court prosecutor Georgia Adilini recently launched an investigation into whether organized arson groups were coordinating with one another.