Algeria, severely affected by the violent fires that broke out on the night of Monday, August 9, already mourns five deaths in the mountainous region of Kabylia.
Hit by this summer’s heat wave and lack of water, Algeria is in the midst of a dramatic situation, with more than thirty fires declared across the country. A trend that could worsen in the coming days due to the strong winds announced by the weather forecast and a temperature of around 42 ° C today and tomorrow in the region.
FLASH: 25 fire starts listed in #Kabylie
2 people died in At Yani, one trying to save his chicken coop and another falling to escape the flames, 2 dead in At Wasif, 1 dead in Iɛeẓẓugen and 3 dead in Iɛekkuren are currently regrettable. pic.twitter.com/2AULSlpW9E
– Tajmaat (@Tajmaat_Service) August 9, 2021
In detail, two people died in Aït Yenni and the other three victims are to be deplored on the side of Yakouren, Tinkicht and Tizi-Ouzou, according to local forest conservator Youcef Ould Mohamed, in comments reported by the Algerie Presse Service agency. . Beyond the first deaths, many people had to flee their homes and towns in a panic.
To end this series of devastating fires, numerous reinforcements were dispatched to the scene and water bomber helicopters were mobilized. All the people of the place, including the inhabitants, are mobilized to come to the aid of the rescuers, either to put out the fires or to promote the evacuations of the population.
Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune took firm action in the Council of Ministers on July 25: a bill that establishes a prison sentence of up to thirty years for those responsible for arson in the forest.
In total, about 44,000 hectares of scrubland burned in Algeria in 2020.