Tunisia Forest Fires Rage for Third Day, Threatening Residents in the North

Tunisian authorities continue their intensive efforts for the third consecutive day to extinguish widespread fires that have erupted in several forests and mountains in the north of the country, amid a record heatwave that has fueled the flames and their rapid spread, in an attempt to prevent their expansion and reaching nearby residential areas.

According to the Civil Protection Agency, 202 fires have been brought under control in the past hours, while firefighting teams are still working to extinguish other fires that broke out yesterday in dense forests in Jebel Mansour, which connects the governorates of Zaghouan and Siliana.

In those areas, several citizens have issued distress calls as the flames approached their homes due to strong winds and high temperatures.

Shared videos showed terrifying scenes of the flames devouring tall trees amidst thick smoke clouds covering the sky, while firefighting teams raced against time to prevent the fires from reaching residential neighborhoods adjacent to the forests.

The initial toll indicates damage to hundreds of hectares of vegetation, with no human casualties reported so far.

Authorities have urged citizens to exercise caution, avoid approaching forests or lighting fires outdoors, emphasizing that the situation is under continuous field monitoring, and firefighting operations will continue until full control over the fires is achieved.

Forest fires in Tunisia are not new, recurring every year at the beginning of summer, driven by rising temperatures and attributed to climatic factors, human negligence, and sometimes deliberate acts.