Authorities in Tunisia evacuated more than 100 families from central and northwestern regions late Monday after intense wildfires rapidly expanded near residential communities.
The emergency operations were concentrated in the central Kairouan province and neighboring Siliana in the northwest as strong winds pushed flames through mountainous terrain.
Member of Parliament Nabil Al-Hamdi confirmed that approximately 100 families were evacuated from Mount Qaytoun, located in the El Oueslatia district of Kairouan. The blaze originally ignited on Mount Bargou in Siliana before high winds drove the fire across regional lines toward populated areas. Evacuated residents were temporarily housed inside a nearby school for safety.
In Siliana province, Regional Commissioner for Agricultural Development Jamal Al-Farchichi reported that strong winds caused a separate fire on Mount Boulemane to expand rapidly, reaching the Ain Bousadia zone in the Bargou district. Residents in affected sectors were evacuated and relocated to a local youth and summer camp facility.
No casualties or fatalities have been reported from the blazes.
Emergency response efforts involved ground crews alongside aerial support:
* Deployment of two military aircraft to drop water on difficult-to-reach mountain pockets.
* Dispatch of civil defense reinforcements from neighboring Zaghouan, Kairouan, and Kef provinces to bolster containment lines.
* Medical treatment for 18 individuals who suffered panic attacks and acute distress due to the spreading fires.
The flare-up follows earlier evacuations over the weekend, when ten families were cleared from mountain slopes near the border zones.
The surge in wildfire activity coincides with an extreme heatwave affecting North Africa. Data from the Tunisian Observatory of Weather and Climate recorded temperatures reaching 49.8°C (121.6°F) in Kairouan, creating highly flammable conditions across regional forests and agricultural land.
