Latest: At least 69 people killed in wildfires in Algeria, authorities blame arson

28 soldiers and 37 civilians are now reported to have died in more than 100 wildfires across Algeria, authorities said on Tuesday, adding that some of the fires had criminal origins. 

People attempt to put out a fire in the mountainous Tizi Ouzou province, east of Algiers, August 10, 2021. REUTERS - ABDELAZIZ BOUMZAR

UPDATED : 17h49UT - Algeria's APS news agency has confirmed 4 more deaths bringing the toll to 69. It has not specified whether the victims were military or civilian.

More than 100 fires have been reported across 17 Algerian provinces, the country's official APS news agency reported on Tuesday evening. The most intense fires are raging in the forested hills of the Kabylie region, east of the capital Algiers.

Photographs and videos posted on social media show walls of flame and billowing clouds of smoke towering over charred trees in the forests.

🔴 #Kabylie : la commune d'Ighil El-Bordj à #Béjaïa, ravagée par les feux de forêt. pic.twitter.com/0VgFUuKSHi

— ObservAlgérie (@ObservAlgerie) August 10, 2021

President Abdelmadjid Tebboune sent his condolences to the families of soldiers killed as they worked to rescue people in the areas of Bejaiea and Tizi Ouzou, the epicentre of the blazes.

"It is with great sadness that I have learned of the martyrdom of 25 soldiers after they were successful in rescuing around 100 citizens from the flames in the mountains of Bejaiea and Tizi Ouzou," the president said, before further deaths were recorded today.

At least another 14 soldiers were injured to varying degrees.

Seventeen civilians died in the Tizi Ouzou and Setif area, Prime Minister Aimene Benabderrahmane said late Tuesday.

Arson suspected

The interior ministry suspects some of the fires were started deliberately.

"50 fires starting at the same time is impossible. These fires are of criminal origin," Interior Minister Kamel Beldjoud said on a visit to Tizi Ouzou.

Public radio reported the arrest of three suspected arsonists in the northern district of Medea and another in Annaba, in relation to other fires.

Arson has been blamed for several major fires in recent years in Algeria.

Last month, President Tebboune ordered a bill to stiffen punishments for starting a forest fire, with sentences of up to 30 years in prison -- and possible life imprisonment, if the fire results in death.

Wildfires in Algeria Cléa PÉCULIER AFP

Hotter temperatures

Fires have caused devastation in several Mediterranean countries in recent days, including Greece, Turkey and Cyprus. They have also been raging in the western United States.

Meteorologists said temperatures of up to 46 degrees Celsius were forecast on Wednesday in Algeria. The country is already struggling with severe water shortages.

• "Code red for humanity" as climate change happening faster than predicted: UN Report

• Evacuations underway as alarming outbreak of wildfires sweeps Europe

On Monday, the UN released a major report showing the threat from global warming is more acute than previously thought. It found human activity was changing the climate in new and sometimes irreversible ways.

Climate change amplifies droughts, creating ideal conditions for wildfires to spread out of control and inflict unprecedented material and environmental damage.

(with AFP)