North Africa cannot escape the severe drought-fueled wildfires that are gripping the southern hemisphere. At least 34 people have died in wildfires that have dominated Algeria for days. That write Algerian media on Tuesday. The strong heat wave that is raging through North Africa – neighboring Tunisia is not spared either – is accompanied by severe drought and sweltering temperatures that reach 50 degrees Celsius.
Forests and agricultural areas in 16 Algerian regions have now been affected by fires. At least 1,500 Algerians were evacuated and 25 people were injured. AP news agency speaks of nearly a hundred separate fires on Algerian territory. The most intense and deadliest fires have now devastated parts of the mountainous Kabyle region east of the capital Algiers and Bouira, about a hundred kilometers southeast of Algiers. Among the dead are ten soldiers who tried to contain the spreading fires.
Vulnerable area
In a statement it makes Algerian Interior Ministry Monday evening report of operations in the regions of Boumerdes, Bouira, Tizi Ouzou, Jijel, Bejaia and Skikda. Some 8,000 firefighters and 525 trucks have now been deployed to bring the fire, which is difficult to fight due to the strong wind, under control. The drying vegetation makes the region more vulnerable to fire outbreaks. On images from local media shows how forested areas and entire villages – including charred cars and burnt-out shopping centers – have been decimated by fire.
In neighboring Tunisia, particularly near the border town of Melloula, forest fires are also being fought amid severe heat and drought. The fire is said to have reached residential areas of the mountainous region, forcing hundreds of families to leave their homes. A Tunisian civil protection official speaks to Reuters about evacuations by land and sea, in fishing boats and coast guard vessels. The French news agency AFP reports serious destruction at Nefta, about 150 kilometers west of Tunis, where authorities are trying to contain the fire with helicopters and water bombers.
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