A fire broke out on Tuesday in an olive grove in the Mashandat area, 15 kilometers west of the Siwa Oasis, devouring 50 acres of trees due to high winds. Eyewitnesses said the fire came close to the village houses. Three armed forces fire engines and four from the Civil Protection Authority began to extinguish the fire, while more headed in to save the area. No casualties were reported so far. The Al-Shorouk newspaper website quoted the villagers as saying the armed forces need to send planes to extinguish the fire before it reaches their houses. The Siwa Oasis is located in the Western Desert, 300 kilometers off the coast of the Mediterranean to the south-west of Marsa Matrouh.
