Algerians Flee Wildfires in Country's Northeast

Civil Defense teams try to put out fires in Jijel last summer. (file photo/Civil Defense)
Civil Defense teams try to put out fires in Jijel last summer. (file photo/Civil Defense)
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Algerians Flee Wildfires in Country's Northeast

Civil Defense teams try to put out fires in Jijel last summer. (file photo/Civil Defense)
Civil Defense teams try to put out fires in Jijel last summer. (file photo/Civil Defense)

Algerian firefighters on Sunday were battling blazes in the northeastern Kabylie region as families were ordered to evacuate, local media and an AFP journalist said.

Residents were told to leave homes in the fire's path in Tizi Ouzou province, news site Ennahar Online reported quoting a forest official, though it was not immediately clear how many people were affected.

Numerous wildfires have broken out in Tizi Ouzou since Friday, though most of them have been brought under control or were expected to soon, said civil defence official Nassim Bernaoui.

"The situation is under control, but outbreaks of fire continue in hard-to-reach areas," he told AFP in the village of Ait Frah, south of Tizi Ouzou city.

The AFP journalist saw olive groves and fig orchards consumed by fires, as well as hen coops, beehives and some homes.

Authorities in Bejaia province, near Tizi Ouzou, ordered the evacuation of around 20 families from Mezouara village, which is located near a forest where blazes raged on Sunday.

Online videos showed a water bomber deployed to help contain the forest fire.

Wildfires are a common sight in summer in northern Algeria, increasingly exacerbated by drought and heatwaves scientists say are linked to climate change.

More than 30 people died in massive fires that ravaged Bejaia in July 2023, destroying thousands of acres of forests and agricultural lands as well as hundreds of homes.



Helicopter Crashes into Hotel Roof in Australian Resort Town, Killing Pilot

A video grab of the crash was captured by a social media user - viral photo via Twitter/BenPennings
A video grab of the crash was captured by a social media user - viral photo via Twitter/BenPennings
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Helicopter Crashes into Hotel Roof in Australian Resort Town, Killing Pilot

A video grab of the crash was captured by a social media user - viral photo via Twitter/BenPennings
A video grab of the crash was captured by a social media user - viral photo via Twitter/BenPennings

A helicopter crashed into the roof of a hotel in the popular northern Australian tourist town of Cairns, killing the pilot and forcing the evacuation of hundreds of guests, authorities said on Monday.

Emergency crews were called at about 2 a.m. on Monday (1600 GMT on Sunday) after a twin-engine helicopter collided with the hotel roof, causing a fire on top of the building and triggering evacuations, Queensland state police said in a statement, Reuters reported.

Police said forensic investigations were underway to formally identify the pilot. He was declared dead at the scene.

"There were no injuries sustained by people on the ground," the police statement said.

The crash occurred at Hilton's Double Tree Hotel in the city of Cairns, a major gateway to Australia's Great Barrier Reef, Australian media reported.

Two of the helicopter's rotor blades came off and one landed in the hotel pool, media reports said.

The forensic crash unit will work with Australia's transport safety regulator to prepare an accident report, police said.