65 People Killed in Algerian Wildfires
Wildfires tearing through northern Algeria have now killed at least 65 people, including 28 soldiers deployed to help the firefighters.
Forest fires have set large parts of Algeria, Turkey and Greece aflame over the past week. A European Union atmosphere monitor said countries that are near the Mediterranean sea had become a wildfire hotspot aided by increasingly hot weather. Wildfires are tearing through forested areas of northern Algeria. It is the most destructive blaze in the country's history. A total of 69 fires were burning on 11th August, amid a heatwave sweeping across North Africa. The flames have been fanned by strong winds and dry conditions. The government has deployed the army to help fight the fires, which have burnt most fiercely in the mountainous Kabylie region. The state television reported on 11th August that so far the fires have killed at least 65 people . 28 of the dead are soldiers, with another 12 critically injured with burns. President Abdelmadjid Tebboune declared three days of national mourning for the dead and froze state activities not related to the fires. Dozens of separate fires have raged through forest areas across northern Algeria since 9th August. On 10th August Interior minister Kamel Beldjoud accused arsonists of igniting the flames. However he did not provide any evidence for it. Several people have been arrested on suspicion of starting fires, but officials gave no details.
Tizi Ouzou, is the largest district of the Kabylie region. It is the worst hit area. Here houses have burned and residents fled to shelter in hotels, hostels and university accommodation in nearby towns. The government has said it will compensate those affected. The United Nations released a major report stating that the effects of climate change are even more severe than previously thought. The report warned that increasingly severe weather patterns that can fuel wildfires, such as heatwaves and droughts, will become more common if action is not taken soon.
