Morocco King offers Algeria help to fight wildfires

RABAT – Morocco’s King Mohammed VI ordered on Wednesday the Ministers of Interior and Foreign Affairs to express to their Algerian counterparts the kingdom’s readiness to help Algeria combat the forest fires that are ravaging several regions of the country, said the Foreign Ministry in a statement.

Two Canadairs were mobilized to take part in this operation, upon agreement with the Algerian authorities, said the Ministry.

Wildfires tearing through forested areas of northern Algeria have killed at least 65 people, state television reported on Wednesday, as the country battled some of the most destructive blazes in its history.

The government has deployed the army to help fight the fires, which have burnt most fiercely in the mountainous Kabylie region, and 28 of the dead are soldiers.

President Abdelmadjid Tebboune declared three days of national mourning and froze state activities not related to the fires.

French President Emmanuel Macron said Paris would send two water bombers to the Kabylie region, promising on Twitter to "bring all our support to Algerian citizens."

Algeria's government later said it had reached an agreement with the European Union to hire two firefighting planes. The prime minister's office said the planes, which will be in action from Thursday, had been used to tackle blazes in Greece.

Dozens of fires have raged through forest areas across northern Algeria since Monday. On Tuesday, Interior Minister Kamel Beldjoud accused arsonists of igniting the flames, but produced no evidence.

The worst-hit area is Tizi Ouzou, the largest Kabylie district, where houses have burned and residents fled to hotels, hostels and university accommodation in nearby towns.

The government has said it will compensate those affected.