Algerian firefighters battle wildfire near Algiers after families evacuated

Smoke rises from a wildfire in the forested hills of the Kabylie region, east of the capital Algiers, on August 10, 2021. (AFP file photo)
Smoke rises from a wildfire in the forested hills of the Kabylie region, east of the capital Algiers, on August 10, 2021. (AFP file photo)
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Algerian firefighters battle wildfire near Algiers after families evacuated

Algerian firefighters battle wildfire near Algiers after families evacuated
  • The health ministry said on Friday there had been no deaths in the fires

ALGIERS: Algerian firefighters on Friday were battling wildfire hotspots near Tipaza, west of the capital Algiers, for a second day after fast-moving flames forced the evacuation of around 50 families, authorities said.
Unseasonably high temperatures and wind gusts topping 60 kilometers per hour pushed the fires to spread quickly overnight Thursday, local reports said.
“Some hotspots have been brought under control, while extinguishing other embers continues,” the civil protection said in a statement at 14:39 local time (1339 GMT).
The health ministry said on Friday there had been no deaths in the fires.
Some residents in villages near Tipaza fled their homes to seek shelter in schools and youth centers, reports said.
The Algerian civil defense said it deployed some 300 firefighters and two water-bombing aircraft to contain the blaze.
Scientists have long warned that climate change caused by mankind’s burning of fossil fuels will make periods of drought more intense and longer-lasting, creating the ideal conditions for wildfires.


Rocket attack in Syria’s capital wounds 1 person and causes damage

Rocket attack in Syria’s capital wounds 1 person and causes damage
Updated 15 November 2025

Rocket attack in Syria’s capital wounds 1 person and causes damage

Rocket attack in Syria’s capital wounds 1 person and causes damage
  • It wasn’t immediately clear who was behind the rocket attack in Damascus
  • Security forces cordoned off the area and prevented anyone from getting close to the building

DAMASCUS: Rockets were fired at a home in Syria’s capital on Friday night, wounding one person and causing damage, state media reported.
It wasn’t immediately clear who was behind the rocket attack in Damascus’ western neighborhood of Mazzeh 86. An Associated Press journalist at the scene said that security forces cordoned off the area and prevented anyone from getting close to the building that was struck.
State television reported that one woman was wounded in the blast, which was caused by an attack by “unknown assailants,” adding that security forces were investigating.
State news agency SANA also said that one woman was wounded in the Friday night explosion, and that the blast was caused by rockets that were fired from a mobile launcher.
Explosions aren’t uncommon in the Syrian capital, but have decreased in recent months.
Since the fall of President Bashar Assad’s government in December last year by insurgents who took over his seat of power in the capital, there have been several explosions in Damascus.
Israel has also carried out hundreds of airstrikes around the country since the end of the 54-year Assad dynasty, mainly targeting assets of the Syrian army.