Algeria detains seven arson suspects during fire wave that has killed at least six

Seven people suspected of involvement in recent fires in Algeria have been placed in pre-trial detention, an Algiers court said, as the country faces a wave of forest and scrub fires that official figures say has killed at least six people since mid-July.

The official APS news agency cited the court as saying on Sunday evening that the suspects were detained in connection with five recent fire cases in Guelma, Constantine, Tipaza, Jijel and Bouira provinces.

They are being prosecuted for acts of sabotage endangering lives, safety and property, and for the deliberate burning of forest assets, according to the court statement.

One suspect is accused of setting fire to a private agricultural holding and destroying 500 square metres that included olive trees, Aleppo pines and scrubland.

Algeria's civil defence said Monday that 63 fires affecting forests, scrubland, brush, crops and oases had been recorded across the country in the previous 24 hours. It said almost all had been put out or brought under control.