Algeria puts out majority of fires in northern provinces

The Algerian Civil Protection Authority said yesterday that its teams have successfully extinguished about 41 out of 59 fires that broke out a day earlier in northeastern provinces, Anadolu news agency reported.

It added that its teams are struggling to extinguish the 18 remaining fires due to strong and hot southern winds, which have increased the fires’ reach.

“The state of Bejaia recorded 28 fires, Tizi Ouzou 10 fires, while 10 other fires were recorded in Boumerdes, 3 in Jijel, 2 in Skikda, 2 in Blida, and 1 in Bouira and Setif,” authorities said.

Pictures published on social media platforms showed traffic coming to a halt on some roads in Bejaia Province after being engulfed in flames and a number of vehicles burned.

On Saturday evening, the Algerian Gendarmerie announced the arrest of a man suspected of starting forest fires in the state of Bejaia in the Kabylie region.

Since Friday, civil protection forces have extinguished dozens of fires in several northern states, no human casualties have been reported. The fires coincided with an unusual heat wave that hit several northern states, with temperatures exceeding 40 degrees.

On 24 July, forest fires east of the Algerian capital left 34 people dead, including ten soldiers, and 194 injured. The coastal state of Bejaia recorded the highest death toll, with 16 people from one family killed.

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