Wildfires in Algeria have displaced at least 600 families

Last updated on September 11th, 2021 at 07:55 am

Wildfires near Algeria’s capital have forced “more than 600 families” to flee their homes, according to an Algerian Red Crescent spokesperson. According to Nafissa Toumi, the fires in Algeria have killed 65 people and injured over 1,000 others.

Prime Minister Amene Benabderrahmane said on state television that governors in the affected districts had been instructed to lodge the affected families.

“We gave strict instructions to the ‘wilaya’ (region) governor to direct all university accommodations currently available, as well as all hotels, including private hotels, to accommodate all citizens affected by the fires and provide them with all means necessary for a decent accommodation in the best way possible until this disaster passes, God willing,” he said.

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This week, Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune proclaimed a three-day mourning period to commemorate those who died. Tebboune announced that his North African country would observe a three-day mourning period beginning Thursday, banning all official activities save for solidarity gestures.

On Monday, dozens of fires engulfed forested mountaintops in the Berber region of Kabyle, east of Algiers, the capital, destroying village homes, olive tree orchards, and animals that provide the region’s livelihood.

According to the forestry director in Tizi-Ouzou, the regional capital, 18 fires are still burning in the area. Hundreds of flames raged across the north, but the deadliest were focused in Kabyle.