Algeria Wildfires Claim 12 Lives as Blazes Rage Across Northeastern Regions

ALGIERS, Algeria: Forest fires killed 12 people and injured dozens in northeastern Algeria on Wednesday, according to the interior minister and civil protection authorities.

The death toll rose sharply from earlier local media reports of two fatalities and an unspecified number of injuries in coastal Bejaia province, located around 300 kilometers (190 miles) from the capital, Algiers.

Interior Minister Said Sayoud told national television that five people were killed in Jijel province, four in Bejaia, and three in Tizi Ouzou province. He added that 54 people were receiving treatment for burns, including six serious cases, at a hospital in Bejaia.

Local radio reported that an eight-year-old boy and a 22-year-old woman were among those who died in Bejaia.

According to the official APS news agency, Sayoud and Health Minister Mohamed Seddik Ait Messaoudene traveled to Bejaia to evaluate the progress of firefighting operations and to check on the condition of the injured.

The civil protection agency and local media reported that many residents in Bejaia and Jijel have been evacuated from their homes.

As of 8:00 p.m. (1900 GMT) on Wednesday, firefighters were working to contain 69 active blazes, the civil protection agency confirmed.

Panic Among Residents

Images broadcast by the local outlet Jijel News showed panicked residents seeking refuge in a post office as thick clouds of smoke engulfed the surrounding area.

The gendarmerie reported that three major national highways connecting eastern regions of the country were closed due to forest fires near the cities of Bejaia, Jijel, and Setif.

The civil protection agency stated that significant resources have been deployed to combat the blazes, which are being intensified by strong winds.

Forest fires occur regularly in northern Algeria during the summer months, but climate change is worsening their impact by driving more frequent droughts and intense heat waves.

In July 2023, more than 30 people were killed when fires ravaged thousands of hectares of forests and farmland, as well as hundreds of homes, in the area surrounding Bejaia.

Authorities documented nearly 2,000 fires nationwide in July of this year alone.

In late July, more than 100 residents of Annaba were forced to temporarily flee their homes as fires swept through the northeastern province, damaging nearly 150 homes.

Official investigations frequently result in arrests for suspected arson. Four individuals in Constantine province have been placed in pre-trial detention in connection with the July fires.

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