Fires are raging in Tunisian west-central region of Kassrine burning wide swaths of wooded and shrub lands. Yamen Haqi, in charge of forests in Kassrine said in a statement, on Friday, that cause of the blazes has not been determined yet. Fires having been raging in mountainous areas in Kassrine since a week ago. The flames have spread to locations close to residential districts, prompting the fire force and the army to help in preventing the blazes from reaching the houses and other civilians' properties. The fires have erupted as the North African country is gripped with a heat wave where temperature have soared. In recent days, Tunisia has recorded temperatures of up to 49 degrees Celsius (120 degrees Fahrenheit), according to the National Institute of Meteorology. Wildfires raged in Tunisia on Wednesday as North Africa continued to deal with a run of high temperatures. Military personnel were called to help extinguish a blaze in a forest in Siliana. They also responded to other fires in Kasserine, Bizerte, Kairoua and Jendouba. Some of those fires have been burning for almost a week. President Kais Saied on Thursday headed a meeting of the catastrophes' response committee, during which he stated that some of the fires had been ignited with natural causes, however arsonists were behind of the blazes in several regions. "Those who ignite the fires will burn with the flames," the president said warning arsonists that their actions would be dealt with as crimes. An unprecedented heat wave is gripping Mediterranean countries, with authorities in several regional countries namely Turkey, Lebanon, Greece, struggling to douse the blazes. — Agencies
