Staff Writer
At least 25 people have died as a result of wildfires blazing across Algeria during an intense heat wave, the authorities reported on Monday (July 24).
The interior ministry reported that as the fires tore through residential neighborhoods, more than 20 persons suffered injuries.
This Zbarbar native in the region of Bouira remembers how the fire started.
It began to burn at around 2:00 p.m., close to the military school, according to Boualam Ferhat.
“I made a call to the fire department and informed them of the nearby fire’s origin. The fire had really spread by the time they arrived a half-hour later.
Another Zbarbar resident, Ali Saibi, lives in a partially wrecked home: “We lost my air conditioner, my windows burned and many other.
The fire began at Grouma on the Tablat-side, moved through Beni Malah, and eventually made its way to Bourebach, destroying everything in its path. Some people suffered total loss.
97 fires were reported in the north African nation’s 16 provinces, fueled by brisk winds as some regions of the country reached temperatures of 48 degrees Celsius (118 degrees Fahrenheit).
Parts of Bejaia and Jijel, in the Kabyle region east of Algiers, and Bouira, southeast of the capital, were devastated by the biggest and deadliest flames.
The President sent his condolences to the families of the fallen, both civilian and military, on Monday, July 24.
mobilized 7,500 firefighters
According to the interior ministry, aircraft fire-fighting support helped 7,500 firefighters and 350 firetrucks tackle the fires.
According to the statement, efforts were being made to put out fires in six provinces, and it urged residents to “avoid areas affected by the fires” and report any new fires via toll-free phone lines.
In the summer, fires frequently blaze over Algeria’s fields and woodlands; this year, a heatwave that saw several Mediterranean nations shatter temperature records has only made things worse.
In the northern area of El Tarf in Algeria, terrible fires in August 2022 claimed 37 lives.
The summer of 2021, which saw 90 people die in similar flames, mostly in the Kabylie region, was the bloodiest in many years.
On Monday, it was around 50 degrees Celsius in neighboring Tunisia.
Following another fire in the area last week, flames are raging once more in a Tunisian pine forest near the Algerian border in Tabarka. Winds and the nearly 50 degree Celsius heat fuelled the flames. The national guard said that at least 300 residents of the adjoining village of Melloula were evacuated both by boat and land.
