Police are examining 30 incendiary devices, including one found in Ancient Olympia, which may have caused some of the recent wildfires around the country, sources told Kathimerini yesterday.

The device found in Ancient Olympia, which was ravaged by fire last month, consisted of 15 flares. Sources said four of the flares had not been damaged by the fire and could provide vital clues. The fire service has not been able to establish whether the fire that threatened the museum and stadium at Ancient Olympia started from the point where the flares were found.

Preliminary estimates by the fire service indicate that there has been a 30 percent rise in cases of arson this summer. Initial findings suggest that 14 of the 137 fires recorded in the Peloponnese between August 23 and 31 were caused by arson. The fire service, however, is unwilling to repeat the government’s assertion that there was an “organized plan” behind the fires, sources added.