Algiers/ Abbas Mimouni/ Anadolu

Algerian civil protection teams continued, on Thursday, their efforts to extinguish 14 fires in forests and vegetation across 12 provinces, supported by air and ground intervention means, in parallel with expectations that temperatures will reach 48 degrees Celsius in some areas.

The General Directorate of Civil Protection reported in its daily tally that it recorded more than a hundred fires in the past 24 hours, explaining that extinguishing operations for 14 of them are still ongoing.

It added that its teams extinguished 89 fires completely, while 14 other hotspots are under surveillance and guard, in anticipation of reignition.

It explained that the most notable interventions were concentrated in the provinces that required the use of firefighting aircraft, foremost among them Setif in the east of the country, where teams continue to fight two fires in bushes and scrublands in the municipalities of Beni Mouhli and Beni Ouertilane.

Six AT-802 aircraft participated in the extinguishing operations in Setif, along with ground reinforcements from the regional detachment of civil protection in the province and the mobile convoy of the province of M'Sila.

In the province of Saida in the west of the country, efforts to fight two forest fires in the municipalities of Ouled Brahim and Moulay Larbi continued, with the participation of one BE-200 aircraft and three AT-802 aircraft.

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The operations were also supported by ground teams from the regional detachment of civil protection in the province of Sidi Bel Abbes.

In Tlemcen in the west of the country, intervention teams continued extinguishing a forest fire, supported by a BE-200 aircraft that carried out 4 water drops on hotspots.

In Bejaia in the east of the country, extinguishing operations continued for 3 fires in forests, bushes, and scrublands in the municipalities of Ouzellaguen, Darguina, and Beni Maouche.

Civil protection teams also continue to monitor a fire that was extinguished in the municipality of Tiferra, after 3 AT-802 aircraft participated in extinguishing it, along with ground reinforcements from the regional detachment of Bouira and the mobile convoy of the national training and intervention unit.

The directorate stated that the ongoing extinguishing operations also included the provinces of Tebessa, Tizi Ouzou, Ouargla, Annaba, Sidi Bel Abbes, Medea, Bordj Bou Arreridj, and Ain Defla.

It affirmed that civil protection teams are working, in coordination with forestry services and various participating agencies, to contain the fires and prevent them from spreading to residential areas and agricultural lands.

- Control of fires

In contrast, firefighting teams managed to bring final control over fires in several provinces, including Adrar, Chlef, Batna, Bouira, Tizi Ouzou, Jijel, Tiaret, Djelfa, Skikda, Medea, Mascara, Tissemsilt, Illizi, Souk Ahras, Mila, Khenchela, and Relizane.

In a separate tally covering the period since July 8, Algeria recorded 932 fires, of which 913 were extinguished until Wednesday morning, according to the Deputy Director of Operations in Civil Protection, Lieutenant Colonel Karim Harbi.

The official Algerian News Agency quoted Harbi as saying that the efforts of firefighting teams continue to control the remaining fire hotspots.

- Ongoing heatwave

The firefighting operations come amid a heatwave affecting several provinces, expected to continue until Friday, according to a statement from the meteorological services.

The meteorological services placed the provinces of Bejaia, Jijel, Skikda, Annaba, and El Tarf in the east of the country under the "orange" alert level.

It explained that the maximum temperatures in these provinces will range between 40 and 44 degrees Celsius, and may reach between 46 and 48 degrees in some areas.

Algeria has been experiencing in recent years droughts and rising temperatures, increasing the risks of forest and vegetation fires.

Widespread fires that the country witnessed in past years caused the death and injury of dozens of people, as well as damaging large areas of forests and vegetation.

The repeated fires prompted authorities to tighten penalties against those responsible for igniting them, reaching in some cases imprisonment for 30 years.