Algerian President Abdelmajid Tebboune has ordered an immediate investigation following a devastating and unusual series of wildfires that erupted across the country in recent days, according to local media reports.
Algeria has recorded 55 simultaneous fires, an atypical phenomenon for November, which led to the evacuation of dozens of families and ravaged significant hectares of forest.
President Tebboune specifically requested an inquiry aimed at determining the “causes of the fires that broke out simultaneously” in several remote regions, state media added. Local media, which had expressed surprise at the scope of the fires in late autumn, have also reported the arrest of four suspects in connection with the blazes.
The Civil Protection agency indicated that almost all of the 55 fires have now been extinguished. The flames primarily devastated hectares of forest and scrubland in about ten northern provinces.
The firefighting effort required a massive mobilization, particularly in Tipaza, near Algiers. Nearly 300 firefighters were deployed, supported by two water bomber aircraft, each with a capacity of 12,000 liters. The emergency crews were forced to battle advancing flames fueled by violent winds that exceeded 60 km/h.
The investigation will focus on establishing whether the synchronous outbreaks were accidental or deliberately set, given the unusual timing and scale of the disaster.
AK/Sf/fss/abj/APA with AFP