From Algeria, Hassane Djebril (Anadolu)

Large areas of northern Algeria have been experiencing a severe heatwave for days, increasing the risk of forest fires.

The General Directorate of Civil Protection announced on Monday that its teams are still extinguishing 26 active fires in 15 provinces, out of a total of 69 hotspots that have ignited since the morning.

The Civil Protection said in a statement that firefighting operations are still ongoing in several eastern provinces, including Bejaia, Jijel, Setif, Guelma, Khenchela, Souk Ahras, Mila, and Batna, as well as central provinces such as Medea, Bouira, Tizi Ouzou, in addition to western provinces including Tlemcen, Sidi Bel Abbes, and Saida, along with the province of Djelfa in the south of the country.

It confirmed that firefighting teams are continuing to combat 26 fires in these provinces, out of 69 fires recorded since Monday morning, after having succeeded in extinguishing 43 of them.

It noted the continuation of extinguishing operations in the forest fire in the municipality of Beni Maach in Bejaia province, involving 26 fire trucks and 6 aircraft, as well as the bush and scrub fire in the municipality of Beni Wertilane in Setif province on the border with Bejaia province, where 16 fire trucks and 3 aircraft of the same type were deployed.

Civil Protection statistics indicate that the country has recorded more than 300 fires, coinciding with a strong heatwave that has affected several northern regions, with temperatures exceeding 45 degrees Celsius since Thursday.

Algeria has been suffering from a severe drought for years, particularly in its central and western regions, leading to a decline in dam and groundwater levels and exacerbating the risk of forest fires.

Repeated drought waves since 2022 have caused unprecedented fires that killed dozens of people and injured hundreds of others, as well as damaging tens of thousands of hectares of forests and vegetation cover.

Algeria has been suffering from accumulated drought for years, especially in the central and western regions, which exacerbates the risk of fires. Civil Protection statistics show that more than 300 fires broke out in conjunction with the heatwave in which temperatures exceeded 45 degrees Celsius since Thursday. Firefighters continue their efforts with the participation of dozens of trucks and aircraft to control the flames.