ALGIERS / Hassan Jibril / Anadolu

Algerian authorities announced Wednesday the full restoration of electricity to 16 provinces, hours after a widespread blackout caused by a technical fault at an electrical facility in Sidi Okba area in Biskra province, southeastern Algeria, as civil protection teams continue fighting 19 fires in 10 provinces amid a severe heatwave sweeping the country.

Minister of Energy and Renewable Energies Mourad Adjal told state television that electricity returned to normal in the 16 provinces affected by the outage on Tuesday evening.

He explained that the outage was caused by a technical malfunction at an electrical facility in Sidi Okba area in Biskra province, due to a severe heatwave and a large increase in humidity, leading to cascading fluctuations and power cut.

Algeria recorded on Monday the highest peak of electricity consumption in its history, reaching 21,870 megawatts, coinciding with a severe heatwave hitting most regions of the country.

The Algerian Electricity and Gas Company "Sonelgaz" (state-owned) said in a statement received by Anadolu that the peak electricity consumption reached 21,870 megawatts, surpassing the record registered on Sunday of 21,120 megawatts, a difference of 750 megawatts.

Meanwhile, the General Directorate of Civil Protection announced in a statement Wednesday morning that 139 fires have been recorded since Tuesday, 120 of which were brought under control, while operations continue to extinguish 19 fires in 10 provinces, most notably Setif, Bejaia, and Saida, with army aircraft deployed to drop water in support of firefighting operations.

The fires on Tuesday caused the death of one person and another with severe burns in Setif province, eastern Algeria.

Algeria's Meteorological Administration expects the heatwave to continue until Friday over wide areas of the country, with temperatures reaching 49 degrees Celsius in desert areas and exceeding 45 degrees in some coastal provinces on the Mediterranean.

Algeria has been experiencing drought and rising temperatures for years, increasing the risk of forest and vegetation fires.

In recent years, widespread fires have resulted in the death and injury of dozens of people and destroyed large areas of vegetation, prompting authorities to tighten penalties against those responsible for starting them, up to 30 years in prison.