Algeria, in northern Africa, has been plagued by forest fires during the summer for years; this year, with the intensification of the North African heat wave, the number of fires has increased. On Wednesday evening, August 26, Algerian Interior Minister Said Sayoud announced that due to the severe heat wave affecting North Africa, wildfires have erupted in several provinces of Algeria, resulting in 12 deaths and 54 people sustaining burns.
According to Reuters, Sayoud indicated that the casualties included 5 in Jijel Province, 4 in Bejaia Province, and 3 in Tizi Ouzou Province. Additionally, 54 individuals have been hospitalized with burns, with 6 of them in serious condition and receiving treatment in intensive care units. Local radio in Algeria reported that the casualties in Bejaia Province included an 8-year-old boy and a 22-year-old woman.
Currently, the North African region is experiencing unusually high temperatures, with Tunisia and Algeria being the most severely affected. The Algerian Civil Defense Department reported a total of 154 wildfires on Wednesday nationwide, with Bejaia Province reporting 36 fires, 18 of which have been brought under control.
Some residents in Bejaia and Jijel provinces have been evacuated; due to the spreading fires, three national highways connecting various eastern cities were temporarily closed.
According to the Turkish Anadolu Agency, preventative evacuations have been carried out in Ouled Yahia Khadrouche and Chekfa in Jijel Province, with both aerial and ground firefighting resources deployed. A Mi-26 helicopter has been deployed to Ouled Yahia Khadrouche, while two AT-802 aircraft have been sent to Chekfa for firefighting operations.
Furthermore, following the fire in Bouteldja in El Tarf Province, personnel from two amusement parks have been evacuated.
According to Agence France-Presse, Algeria saw nearly 2,000 wildfires in July alone; by the end of the month, the fires had spread to Annaba Province in the northeast, causing damage to nearly 150 buildings and the evacuation of over a hundred people.
In July 2023, Algeria experienced more severe wildfires, with over 30 fatalities in surrounding areas of Bejaia Province, along with the destruction of thousands of hectares of forests and farmland, as well as hundreds of homes.