BAt least 26 people have died in forest fires in northern Algeria. Interior Minister Kamel Beldjoud said on the TV news on Wednesday evening that 24 people had died in Al Tarf province in the north-east of the country. There were two more fatalities in the province of Sétif, also in the north-east. Dozens of people were injured in the fires from flames or smoke.
According to the Algerian civil defense, a total of 39 fires are currently raging in 14 provinces of the country, 16 of them in Al Tarf alone. The town of Sou Ahras near the border with Tunisia is also affected. Television pictures showed how residents there had to leave their homes to flee the flames.
The fires bring back memories of last summer. At that time, at least 90 people died in the deadliest forest fires in the recent history of the North African country.
fires in southern Europe
In Spain and Portugal, too, firefighters continue to fight massive forest fires. A major fire in central Portugal broke out on August 6 near the town of Covilha near the Serra da Estrela nature reserve. It was brought under control over the weekend. However, on Monday it erupted again. According to the authorities, 24 people have been injured by the fire so far, three of them seriously.
According to the authorities, the flames have now destroyed around 25,000 hectares of forest. Around 1,200 firefighters with 340 fire engines and 14 planes and helicopters continued to fight the flames on Wednesday. The forest fire is the largest this summer in Portugal. Authorities are investigating suspected arson after the fire flared up in three different locations simultaneously on Monday.
In neighboring Spain, the Valencia region in particular is struggling with major fires. The fire in Bejís, 70 kilometers northwest of the city of Valencia, had spread rapidly since it erupted on Monday. According to regional officials, 10,000 hectares of land were burned and 1,500 people had to be evacuated.
