“Animals, fields, houses, everything is devastated”: in Algeria, Kabylia in flames

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About 30 forest fires broke out in the Kabylie region, in northern Algeria, on the evening of August 9, killing at least six people. As the country goes through a scorching heat and water refraction, impressive amateur images testify to the region’s distress in the face of the flames.

As of the morning of August 10, 31 fires were underway in 14 wilayas (departments) of Kabylie, in northern Algeria. Ten fires had been recorded in the wilaya of Tizi Ouzou, four in Jijel and four others in Sétif and Béjaïa according to Civil Protection. Other towns were also heavily affected by the fires, which mainly spread to the surrounding forests and fields. At least 14 people were killed and two people were injured, most of them in Tizi Ouzou.

The fires were spreading rapidly due to a strong blast of wind, which complicates the task of firefighters, specifies theAlgeria Press Agency.

Amateur images as an SOS

Amateur videos taken on the night of August 9 bear witness to the extent of the flames, which ravaged fields and entire houses, confides a user from Larbaa Nath Irathen, a town in Tizi Ouzou, to the Observers editorial staff. “The inhabitants can no longer fight the fire, there is a mobilization of several villages in the region [de Tizi Ouzou]”, She assures.

The authorities dispatched two water bomber helicopters and roving first aid units from neighboring wilayas as reinforcements.

The Interior Ministry says the fires are criminal, in a statement on state television. Three people suspected of having started a fire in the wilaya of Médéa were arrested Tuesday morning.

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