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Tunisia recorded at least 900 fires over a single 72-hour window during a scorching heatwave that pushed temperatures up to 49°C, according to civil protection officials on Friday.
The widespread blazes tore through forestland, crops, brushland, and homes between July 20 and 22 as emergency crews scrambled to contain the disaster.
While firefighters successfully extinguished most of the blazes, two massive fires—including a destructive mountain blaze in the northwestern region of Sakiet Sidi Youssef—continue to burn.
The historic outbreak followed an unusually wet winter that generated dense plant cover, which dried out quickly and created vast stores of combustible fuel.
Temperatures soared 8 to 14 degrees above seasonal averages across the country, forcing utility authorities to enforce daily rolling blackouts to prevent the national power grid from collapsing under peak demand.
Forestry officials report that fires have consumed roughly 4,400 hectares of forestland since May 1—nearly double the 2,705 hectares destroyed during the same period last year.
Authorities attribute the dramatic escalation to the severe heatwave alongside human negligence and criminal arson, warning that extreme weather continues to threaten rural communities and regional infrastructure.
