Sharjah24 – AFP: All forest fires in Algeria have been extinguished, the emergency services said Wednesday, ending over a week of deadly blazes that left at least 90 people dead.
"No forest fire was recorded" on Wednesday morning, the emergency services in the North African nation said.
Fires broke out on August 9, and at one point dozens were raging in multiple sites across northern Algeria, burning tens of thousands of hectares of forest.
The government has blamed arsonists and a blistering heatwave for the blazes, and authorities have arrested 22 suspects.
Police have also arrested 61 people over the lynching of a man falsely accused of arson, an incident that sparked outrage. The mob also set the victim on fire.
Algeria is Africa's biggest country by surface area, and although much of the interior is desert, the north has over four million hectares (10 million acres) of forest, which is hit every summer by fires.
Critics say the authorities failed to prepare for the blazes.
Algeria's army mobilised five helicopters and its emergency services three water-bombing helicopters to fight the flames, with firefighting aircraft also coming to help from Europe.
Algeria has since decided to buy four firefighting planes.
Climate scientists have repeatedly warned that man-made global warming will bring higher temperatures and more extreme weather events across the world.
For an optimal experience, please
