THE GUARDIAN: About 7,500 firefighters trying to bring blazes under control and 1,500 people evacuated as heatwave spreads
Thirty-four people including 10 soldiers have been killed by wildfires in the mountainous Béjaïa and Bouïra regions of Algeria, as a heatwave spreads across north Africa and southern Europe.
About 8,000 firefighters were trying to bring the flames under control, authorities said, adding that about 1,500 people had been evacuated.
Algeria’s interior ministry said operations were under way to put out fires in six provinces and asked for people to “avoid areas affected by the fires” and to report new blazes on freephone numbers.
“Civil protection services remain mobilised until the fires are completely extinguished,” the ministry said.
The defence ministry said 10 soldiers were killed in the fires, but provided no further details. » | Agencies in Algiers | Monday, July 24, 2023
