Twelve people have lost their lives, and many others are injured in wildfires that took place in northeastern Algeria amid strong winds and dryness as well as the heat of summer.
The number of dead people has increased from an earlier reported number of two dead people, as the authorities stated that at least five people died in Jijel province, four in Bejaia, and three in Tizi Ouzou due to wildfires.
Interior Minister Said Sayoud said that 54 people are being treated for their burn injuries in the hospital of Bejaia, out of whom six are in critical condition.
According to local reports, an eight-year-old boy and a 22-year-old woman died in Bejaia.
The authorities have shifted residents from some areas of Bejaia and Jijel due to fires.
Where Are the Algerian Wildfires?
The affected areas include the northeastern parts of Algeria, especially the coastal provinces of Bejaia, Jijel, and Tizi Ouzou.
Among the affected provinces is Bejaia, which is about 300 kilometres east of Algiers, where the death toll has risen due to the wildfires in forests.
As at 8 pm local time on Wednesday, the Algerian Civil Protection reported that the number of active fires being fought was 69.
High wind speeds have been facilitating the spread of the wildfire, making it difficult to control the fire outbreaks.
12 People Dead and 54 Injured
A total of 12 people have lost their lives, and 54 others sustained injuries due to the wildfires, as confirmed by Interior Minister Said Sayoud.
He revealed that five people have been killed in Jijel, four in Bejaia, and three in Tizi Ouzou.
At least 54 people have sought medical attention in Bejaia due to injuries sustained from the wildfires, including six people with serious injuries.
The injury levels have made it even more difficult for the medical personnel to handle as they battle the fire outbreaks.
Both Said Sayoud and Health Minister Mohamed Seddik Ait Messaoudene toured Bejaia.
Residents Fleeing as Fires Engulf More Areas
The authorities have evacuated residents living in the affected areas, mainly in Bejaia and Jijel.
Footage taken locally captured people trying to find places to seek refuge from the thick clouds of smoke caused by the fires.
Additionally, some major roads have also been impacted.
According to Algerian gendarmerie authorities, three major national highways that link different regions in the east of the country have been closed due to fires close to Bejaia, Jijel, and Setif.
Why Are Algeria’s Wildfires Getting Out of Hand?
Forest fires are not unusual in northern Algeria at this time of the year, but the increasingly hot and dry weather makes them even harder to manage.
Climate change has resulted in an increase in drought and extremely hot spells in many Mediterranean regions, creating conditions in which vegetation dries out faster, and the fires can easily spread.
Over the past few years, Algeria has seen several disastrous seasons of wildfires.
More than 30 individuals died in July 2023 as the result of fires that burned down thousands of hectares of forest and farmland in the area around Bejaia and damaged several hundred homes.
The nation experienced almost 2,000 wildfires throughout the month of July 2023, showing how severe the annual wildfire threat is.
Algeria Suffers from More Wildfires This Summer Season
This most recent incident is the continuation of the series of wildfires that occurred in northeast Algeria this summer.
More than 100 people had to leave their homes temporarily as a result of fires that occurred in Annaba at the end of July.
Almost 150 homes suffered damage because of these wildfires.
It was also determined whether the fires were set intentionally.
Four people were detained as part of the July fires in the province of Constantine.
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