The Algerian government is presently battling to contain raging forest fires along its Mediterranean coast on Tuesday, July 25. The rampaging inferno has killed at least 34 people, but authorities have managed to control about four-fifths of the blaze as at the time of filing this report.
Spurred by the strong winds, the inferno had spread to neighbouring Tunisia, leading to the closure of two border crossings.
The record-breaking heatwave seen this month has wrecked havoc all over the planet, with the soaring temperatures breaking records in China, the U.S, southern Europe and North Africa, leaving a trail of destruction in its wake.
Prior to the Algerian fire outbreak, Greece had been battling forest fires for at least one week, spurring a mass evacuation of thousands of tourists from its most famous holiday resorts.
The raging fires had broken out in several provinces in Algeria on Monday, July 24, ripping through forests, olive groves and low-lying shrub land. Over 8,000 firefighters were called in to control the flames.
The Algerian civil protection services has announced that 15 fires were presently raging across eight regions namely: Skikda, Jijel, Bouira, Bejaia, Tebessa, Medea, Setif, and El Tarf.
Ten out of the 34 deceased victims were reported to be soldiers.
Authorities have also disclosed that about 1,500 people had escaped from their homes.
High temperatures measuring 49 degrees Celsius were recorded in a few cities in Tunisia this week, before the fires began.
Meanwhile, a spokesman for Tunisian civil protection, Moez Tria had remarked that precedence was given to safe guarding residential communities in the region and preventing the inferno from reaching an airport in the area.
Fires had also broken out in Bizerte, Beja and Siliana regions in the country.
