Algiers, Aug. 30 (SANA) Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune said Saturday that foul play could not be ruled out in wildfires that have swept several provinces in recent days, adding that investigations would be conducted to determine their cause.
Tebboune, speaking while visiting people injured in the fires at a hospital, said he did not rule out the possibility that “criminal elements” were behind the blazes, particularly given the intensity with which they broke out, according to Algeria Press Service (APS).
He also said strong winds had complicated efforts to extinguish the fires and bring them under control.
Algeria’s General Directorate of Civil Protection said Friday that 174 fires had broken out across the country, of which 110 had been extinguished.
Interior, Local Authorities and Transport Minister Saïd Sayoud said Wednesday that 12 people had died in fires in the provinces of Jijel, Béjaïa and Tizi Ouzou.
The fires have erupted amid an intense heatwave across large parts of northern Algeria, with dozens of outbreaks reported in several provinces, particularly in the east. Some reached residential areas, prompting authorities to evacuate families.
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