A mass fire erupted in the Zella oasis, southwest of Libya, damaging a vast area of land planted with palm trees.

According to local sources, high temperatures ignited the fire, which engulfed around 800 fruitful palm trees.

A video circulated online showed local people struggling to extinguish the blaze amid a lack of appropriate protective clothing or gear.

The residents said the area received no fire engines to tackle such cases despite their repeated requests from successive Libyan governments.