After Europe and the United States, it is now Africa’s turn to be faced with fires. Twenty-six people died and several dozen were injured in forest fires that affected 14 departments in northern Algeria, Algerian Interior Minister Kamel Beldjoud announced on Wednesday evening.
“Twenty-six people died: two in Sétif (east) and 24 in El Tarf (east)”, near the border with Tunisia, he announced during the 8:00 p.m. television news. In Souk Ahras, bordering Tunisia, impressive images show residents fleeing their homes in the face of flames. In this city, four people were burned to varying degrees and 41 others suffered from breathing difficulties, according to a latest assessment.
According to local media, 350 residents were evacuated. “Thirty-nine fires in 14 wilayas (prefectures) are in progress”, indicated the civil protection by specifying that the wilaya of El Tarf, also bordering Tunisia, records the greatest number of fires with 16 fires in progress. and the greatest number of victims.
Water bomber helicopters intervened in three prefectures including Souk Ahras. Since the beginning of August, 106 fires have broken out destroying 800 hectares of forest and 1,800 hectares of coppice, said the Minister of the Interior, killing four people so far.
90 dead in 2021 and 100,000 hectares gone up in smoke
The largest country in Africa, Algeria has only 4.1 million hectares of forest, with a meager reforestation rate of 1.76%. Each year, the north of the country is affected by forest fires, but this phenomenon is accentuated from year to year under the effect also of climate change.
The summer of 2021 has been the deadliest. At least 90 people died in forest fires that ravaged the north of the country where more than 100,000 hectares of copses went up in smoke. Climate warming increases the likelihood of heat waves and droughts and, by extension, fires.