At least 12 people lost their lives and dozens of others were injured on Wednesday after forest fires swept through northeastern Algeria, forcing many families to evacuate their homes.
National television station Ennahar reported that the deaths occurred across three eastern provinces, with five fatalities recorded in Jijel, four in Béjaïa and three in Tizi Ouzou.
In Béjaïa province, four deaths were reported, including an eight year old boy and a 22 year old woman, according to local station Radio Soummam. The station added that 54 people were injured in the province, six of whom were in serious condition.
Emergency operations and road closures
Interior Minister Saïd Sayoud and Health Minister Mohamed Seddik Aït Messaoudene traveled to Béjaïa to review firefighting operations and assess the care provided to the injured, state news agency APS reported.
Media outlets reported urgent evacuations across multiple districts as flames approached residential areas. Video published by news website Jijel News showed panicked residents seeking refuge inside a local post office while smoke rose behind the building.
Three national highways connecting eastern regions were closed due to the blazes, according to Ennahar. Civil Protection officials said extensive teams and resources were deployed to combat dozens of active fire fronts driven by violent winds.
Wildfire risks across northern Algeria
Algeria is located in North Africa along the Mediterranean coast, where mountainous regions such as the Kabylie area contain extensive forest coverage. The Algerian Civil Protection service acts as the primary national agency for emergency management and firefighting operations.
Northern Algeria faces forest fires every summer, with conditions exacerbated by recurring heatwaves and droughts linked to climate change. In recent years, seasonal blazes have killed dozens of people, destroyed homes and burned millions of acres of woodland and agricultural fields.
Authorities have previously stated that some past summer fires were caused by arson, leading to several arrests. Firefighters and emergency personnel remain deployed in the eastern provinces to contain the ongoing blazes.
