Algerian efforts continue to control fires in the country, and four suspects arrested for setting forest fires

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Algerian ambulance services transported more than one hundred people to hospital in the northeast of the country, according to authorities who said on Wednesday that 150 homes had been damaged and their residents evacuated due to the fires.

The fires broke out on Tuesday evening in the forested area of Seraïdi in Annaba province. The coastal region has seen hundreds of fires for weeks according to the Civil Protection, which said in a statement on Wednesday that it is still working to extinguish the Seraïdi fire, and that the local hospital was evacuated "as a precaution."

The latest toll from the General Directorate of Civil Protection stated that its teams have so far managed to extinguish 28 fires, while extinguishing operations continue for another 41 fires.

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Interior Minister Said Saoud confirmed in a statement to local media that "all patients transferred to the hospital are in reassuring health condition."

He added that the number of damaged homes counted so far is about 150, noting that no deaths have been recorded.

The Interior Ministry had announced on Tuesday evening that six deaths had been recorded since the start of the wave of fires sweeping several regions of Algeria.

The ministry issued instructions "to inventory and assess all losses recorded as a result of forest fires, with the aim of compensating those affected."

"Deliberate Act"

The Sidi M'hamed court in Algiers announced the placement of four people suspected of setting forest fires in pretrial detention.

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The court explained in a statement that the four were arrested in the province of Constantine (northeast), and face charges including "carrying out destructive acts aimed at endangering people's lives, security, and property, which carry a penalty of up to death."

The statement said: "In light of the forest fires that some provinces have witnessed since the end of last week, we have dealt with three cases related to criminal groups setting fire to forest properties."

It adds: "Following the preliminary investigation, members of the criminal network were arrested, namely four suspects, and the investigation concluded that they had set fire to forest properties."

The statement indicated that "after interrogating the defendants by the investigating judge, an order was issued to place them in pretrial detention."

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The Civil Protection recorded about 1,550 fires over the past twelve days.

In recent years, massive fires have killed dozens of people and destroyed thousands of hectares of forests and agricultural land, as well as a large number of homes.

Exceptional heat wave

Image caption, A strong heat dome centered over the southwestern Mediterranean Sea

The North Africa region is experiencing an exceptional heat wave, caused by a strong heat dome centered over the southwestern Mediterranean Sea.

A heat dome is a strong high-pressure system that traps hot air in the lower layers of the atmosphere, preventing it from rising and regenerating air masses, leading to high temperatures day and night.

This dome is centered over Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, and Libya, especially the eastern regions.

The heat wave peaked in the middle of this week, with temperatures ranging between 45 and 48 degrees Celsius, amid warnings that they could approach 50 degrees in some areas.

Meteorological agencies in these countries have called on residents to follow prevention guidelines, including drinking plenty of water, avoiding direct sun exposure during peak hours, and refraining from strenuous physical exertion, with special attention to the elderly and those living alone.

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