Algeria, July 24 (BNA): 25 people, including 10 soldiers, were killed in forest fires in Algeria today, Monday, in the mountainous regions of Bejaia and Bouira, according to what the Algerian authorities announced, as the heat wave spread across North Africa and southern Europe.
Authorities said about 7,500 firefighters were battling to control the flames.
The Interior Ministry said it is continuing firefighting operations in the regions of Boumerdes, Bouira, Tizi Ouzou, Jijel, Bejaia and Skikda, Reuters reported.
About 1,500 people have been evacuated so far.
North Africa is gripped by a major heat wave, with temperatures of 49 degrees Celsius (120 Fahrenheit) recorded in some cities in neighboring Tunisia.
In Tunisia, forest fires have swept through the border town of Maloula. Witnesses told Reuters that the fires, which broke out in mountainous areas, reached the homes of some people in the town and forced hundreds of families to flee.
A civil protection official said they evacuated hundreds of the town’s residents by land and sea, in fishermen’s boats and coast guard vessels.
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