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Wildfires kill 15 in Algeria as heatwave hits north Africa

Reuters AFRICA
Published July 24,2023
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Smoke rises above trees during a fire in a forest in Melloula near Tabarka at the north-western Tunisian border with Algeria, on July 20, 2023, amid soaring summer temperatures. (AFP)

Wildfires killed 15 people in the mountainous Bejaia and Bouira regions of Algeria on Monday, the interior ministry said, as a heatwave spreads across north Africa and southern Europe.

Some 7,500 firefighters wee battling to bring the flames under control, authorities said. Firefighters were also at work in the Boumerdes, Tizi Ouzou, Jijel and Skikda regions.

About 1,500 people had been evacuated.

A major heatwave has hit North African countries, with temperatures reaching 49 Celsius (120 F) in some Tunisian cities.