The Melloula region, in the Tabarka region, is plagued by a devastating fire which broke out on July 18 before being under control. But the fire resumed this time requiring the evacuation of the inhabitants.
The fire which ravages the Melloula region (Jenouba governorate) pushed the head of the government, Najla Bouden to upset her schedule. This Monday, July 24, she decided to suspend all ministerial meetings and to set up a crisis cell within the Presidency of the Government.
This crisis unit aims to coordinate the efforts of all the intervening parties to master the flames and protect citizens and their goods knowing that the fire, although having been mastered, on Saturday, has taken over today and ravaged large forest areas.
This resumption of the fire is due to very strong winds which have risen in the region. Due to this serious situation, the Directorate of Civil Protection undertook to evacuate all the inhabitants of the Melloula area.
Bus evacuation
To evacuate the inhabitants, the regional transport company of Jendouba mobilized nine buses. For its part, the Office of Civil Aviation and Airports (OACA) has strengthened the efforts made by civil protection, by mobilizing large capacity fire trucks.
These vehicles will take the direction of the city of Tabarka, from the airports of Tunis-Carthage, Sfax, Tina, Tozeur, Nafta and Gafsa Ksar.
The Transport Department also said that the National Office for Land Frontier Posts (ONPFT), in turn, welcomed a number of inhabitants, in the border post of Melloula.
The mobilized army
For its part, the Ministry of National Defense announced, in a statement published today, that military units intervened today, to rescue the inhabitants of the region. Some were evacuated by the navy, others were transferred to areas far from the devastating fire.
The national army units (Army, Air Force and Tunisian Navy) remain mobilized in the Melloula region to control the flames and help residents.
The Air Force has, today eight aerial overviews using military helicopters and C130 aircraft to extinguish fires that have declared themselves near Tabarka airport, said the Ministry of National Defense.
