Algeria Wildfires Kill 12 and Injure Dozens Amid North African Heatwave

At least 12 people have been killed and 54 others injured as dozens of wildfires swept across northeastern Algeria on Wednesday during a severe heatwave impacting North Africa. Emergency responders were actively battling 69 active blazes as of 8:00 p.m. local time (1900 GMT), following reports from civil protection authorities that emergency crews had contended with more than 150 individual fires across northern provinces throughout the day.

Algerian Interior Minister Said Sayoud announced the official death toll during a broadcast on national television, confirming that five fatalities occurred in Jijel province, four in Bejaia province, and three in Tizi Ouzou province. The official figures revised earlier accounts from local media, which had initially reported two deaths and an unspecified number of injuries in Bejaia, a coastal province located approximately 300 kilometers (190 miles) east of the capital city, Algiers. A local radio station reported that those killed in Bejaia included an eight-year-old boy and a 22-year-old woman.

All 54 of the injured individuals were admitted to a hospital in Bejaia for treatment of burn injuries, with six of the patients in critical condition and receiving intensive care, according to Sayoud. The official APS news agency reported that Sayoud and Health Minister Mohamed Seddik Ait Messaoudene traveled directly to Bejaia to evaluate the progress of ongoing firefighting operations on the ground and monitor medical care for the injured.

The rapid progression of the fires prompted emergency services and local authorities to execute evacuations for many residents living in affected areas across Bejaia and Jijel provinces. Media coverage broadcast by local site Jijel News showed images of panicked residents taking refuge inside a local post office while dense clouds of smoke billowed around them.

The fires also caused major road disruptions across the eastern region of the country. Algeria’s national gendarmerie announced that three major national highways connecting eastern regions had to be closed to traffic because of forest fires burning in close proximity to the cities of Bejaia, Jijel, and Setif. Civil protection officials emphasized that significant emergency response resources had been deployed to combat the blazes, which continued to spread rapidly under the influence of strong winds.

Background

Northern Algeria routinely experiences forest fires during the summer months, but climate change has intensified their impact by bringing increasingly frequent droughts and extreme heat. In July 2023, severe wildfires around Bejaia killed more than 30 people while destroying thousands of hectares of forests and farmland alongside hundreds of homes.

Wildfire activity has remained high throughout the current summer season, with Algerian authorities recording nearly 2,000 blazes nationwide in July alone. In late July, fires in the northeastern province of Annaba damaged nearly 150 homes and forced more than 100 residents to temporarily evacuate. Official investigations into forest fires in the country frequently lead to arson charges, including the recent pre-trial detention of four individuals in Constantine province related to July blazes.