Tunisia says it has contained wildfires that have swept several regions

Tunisian firefighters have completely contained the fires that broke out in a number of regions of the country, with the help of members of the Algerian army and fire fighting planes from Spain, the Tunisian Interior Minister said on Wednesday, Reuters reports.

Wildfires that swept across regions of Algeria, leaving at least 34 people,  including 10 soldiers, dead, spread to Tunisian regions including forests of Tabarka, Jendouba, Beja, Bizerte and Siliana.

Earlier on Wednesday, Algeria managed to contain the bush fire that had been raging in its forests, the state TV said.

Wildfires in Tunisia forced hundreds to evacuate their homes, as a heat wave spread across North Africa and southern Europe.

Temperatures of 49 degrees Celsius (120 Fahrenheit) were recorded in some cities in Tunisia this week.

Tunisian Interior Minister, Kamel Feki, told Parliament that no loss of life had been recorded during the recent fires.

He added that 600 residents who were evacuated have all returned to their homes.

The world has seen a large spike in the annual tree cover loss caused by wildfires worldwide, resulting in a staggering loss of 9.63M hectares [Omar Zaghloul/Anadolu Agency]

READ: Tunisia evacuates residents of border area with Algeria due to fires