ATLANTA — Firefighters have made progress in battling many of the large wildfires burning in the Southeast, but several blazes continue to creep into new areas — and investigators say more fires are being lit each day by suspected arsonists.

There are 44 uncontained large fires in the South, covering more than 120,000 acres, national fire officials said Tuesday.

Arson probes are underway in Georgia, Tennessee, North Carolina and Kentucky.

In Tennessee, firefighters have responded to 27 new fires since Friday, and 19 of them are suspected arsons.