Tunisia-[Audio]Fires in Ghardimaou: Regional director of civil protection reveals what really occurred

Speaking to Tunisie Numérique,Adel Abidi, regional director of civil protection in Jendouba adressed the fires that ravaged Ghardimaou in the past 48 hours.Mr Abidi said that the direction of the wind and the type of vegetation played a role in the fast spread of the fire.

Additionally, much of the blaze happened near the top of the mountain and with no roads leading to these locations, civil defence units took a long time to arrive. Reinforcements came from various regions of the country including Tunis, Siliana, Béja and Sousse, to help regional units control this fire.

Thanks to the efforts of civil protection units, forest guards and citizens, no human loss was registered. On the other hand, 2 homes were fully destroyed and 10 suffered severe damage. More than 1,500 hectares of vegetation were completely ravaged by the flames, he added.

The fire will be completely extinguished during the following few hours, according to Adel Alimi, who emphasised that new technologies, in particular drones, have considerably facilitated the mission of civil protection agents. He further said that the fire broke out in Kef near the Algerian borders before reaching the forests of Jendouba and that an inquiry has been opened to find out whether it is a criminal act.