Algeria mourns 69 wildfire victims

Algeria has declared three days of national mourning starting from Thursday for at least 69 people who’ve been killed in dozens of wildfires.

The victims of Algeria’s many fires include 28 soldiers who died trying to fight the flames.

The wooded, mountainous Kabylie region west of Algiers has been hardest hit.

Social media images have shown blazing hillsides, terrified livestock, and vast columns of smoke towering over communities.

A heat wave and strong winds have fanned the fires, but the authorities say arsonists are to blame for much of the devastation.

Arrests have been made, but no evidence against the accused has been presented. It’s not clear what their motivation might have been.

BBC/Dominica Nwabufo