Tunisia fights 900 fires as heatwave strains power grid

Tunisia fights 900 fires as heatwave strains power grid

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Tunisia recorded at least 900 fires in 72 hours as an intense heatwave swept across the country, forcing authorities to seek international assistance to contain major wildfires still burning in the north-west.

Civil protection official Khalil Mechri said the blazes were recorded between 20 and 22 July and were not limited to forests, but also affected brushland, crops and homes.

“These are not only forest fires but also brushland, crops, houses,” Mechri said, adding that most of the fires had been extinguished, although two major wildfires remained active.

Authorities enlisted help from neighbouring countries to fight the fires, with an Italian firefighting aircraft joining two Algerian planes to contain one of the largest blazes in the north-western region of Sakiet Sidi Youssef, according to Africanews.

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Colonel-Major of Civil Protection Seif Eddine Dekhlaoui said officials were hopeful that changing weather conditions would help firefighters gain control.

“We requested international assistance, and at the moment one Italian plane and two Algerian planes are helping to put out the fire,” Dekhlaoui said.

“The flames are still present. We hope that in the coming hours, the situation gets better, with wind speeds dropping and flames reducing on all fronts,” he added.

The fires coincided with exceptionally high temperatures across the North African nation. On Tuesday, temperatures ranged between 40 and 49 degrees Celsius, exceeding seasonal averages by between 8 and 14 degrees.

The extreme heat also strained Tunisia’s electricity network, prompting daily planned power cuts to reduce pressure on the national grid.

Mechri said the outbreaks were fuelled by unusually large amounts of dried vegetation following an exceptionally rainy winter, creating conditions that allowed flames to spread rapidly.

Meanwhile, Tunisia’s Director General of Forests, Mohamed Noufel Ben Haha, said about 4,400 hectares of forestland had been destroyed by fire between 1 May and 23 July, compared with 2,705 hectares during the same period last year.

Ben Haha attributed the increase in wildfires to a mix of human negligence, criminal acts and a prolonged spell of extreme heat.

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