Algires: Tuesday saw Algerian firefighters battling blazes that had claimed 34 lives in the tinder-dry north, destroyed homes and coastal resorts, and reduced vast tracts of forest to charred wasteland.

Witnesses described running from walls of flames that raged "like a blowtorch" as TV footage displayed scorched automobiles, burned-out businesses, and smouldering fields and scrubland.

In the sweltering summer heat, which peaked at 48 degrees Celsius on Monday, severe fires have raged through the mountain forests of the Kabylia region on the Mediterranean coast.

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According to the Defence Ministry, 10 soldiers were among the dead who were trapped by flames at Beni Ksila in Bejaia province. President Abdelmadjid Tebboune sent his condolences to the families of the deceased.

A tearful elderly woman speaking on television from Ait Oussalah said, "I have nowhere to go now — my house and that of my son have been completely destroyed by flames." She had also lost her daughter-in-law and granddaughter.

After mobilising more than 8,000 civil defence personnel, more than 500 fire trucks, and numerous chartered aircraft, authorities reported making progress in putting out the nearly 100 fires that had been reported in recent days.

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The majority of the 97 fires had been put out by Tuesday afternoon, but 13 remained active despite a slight drop in temperature and a calming of the winds, according to the Interior Ministry.

An investigation into the fires' origins and potential offenders was mandated by Bejaia's public prosecutor.

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Injuries ranging from burns to smoke inhalation were sustained by an undetermined number of people, and more than 1,500 people were evacuated as the fires ravaged 15 provinces, particularly Bejaia, Bouira, and Jijel.

In recent days, serious fires have also raged in neighbouring Tunisia, particularly in the northwest Tabarka region. Significant damage was seen by reporters there, and they also saw helicopters and Canadair water bombers in action