At least 12 people were killed and 54 others suffered burn injuries as wildfires swept through three provinces in northeastern Algeria, authorities said, while emergency crews continued efforts to contain outbreaks during an exceptional heatwave.
Interior Minister Said Sayoud reported five deaths in Jijel province, four in Bejaia and three in Tizi Ouzou. The three provincial figures together account for the confirmed national death toll from the fires.
Of the 54 people injured, six were in critical condition or receiving treatment in intensive care. The available figures did not provide a province-by-province breakdown of the injuries.
The scale of the emergency extended beyond the three provinces where deaths were recorded. Algeria’s civil-protection services documented 154 wildfire outbreaks across the country on August 26. Bejaia alone accounted for 36 of those incidents, making it one of the principal areas affected during the day.
Families evacuated as crews confront multiple outbreaks
Authorities evacuated dozens of families from threatened areas while firefighting operations continued. The evacuations were intended to move residents away from advancing fires and smoke as civil-protection teams dealt with numerous outbreaks at the same time.
The fires struck while Algeria was experiencing an exceptional heatwave, adding to the difficult conditions facing emergency responders. Officials continued to focus on suppressing the blazes, protecting populated areas and assisting people forced to leave their homes.
Reports available from the authorities did not specify how many homes or other structures had been damaged. They also did not provide an estimate of the total land burned across Jijel, Bejaia and Tizi Ouzou. The confirmed human impact, however, included deaths in all three provinces and dozens of burn injuries.
The concentration of 36 outbreaks in Bejaia represented nearly a quarter of the 154 fires recorded nationwide on August 26. Four of the 12 reported deaths occurred in that province. Jijel had the highest confirmed death toll, with five fatalities, while three people died in Tizi Ouzou.
Emergency response remains under way
Firefighting teams remained engaged as authorities monitored the affected communities. With outbreaks recorded across Algeria, the response involved both local emergencies and a broader nationwide wildfire situation.
The official casualty figures underscored the severity of the fires in the northeast. Six critically injured patients required intensive medical attention, while the remaining injured people were treated for burns of varying seriousness. Authorities had not announced a revised casualty total in the information available.
The evacuation of dozens of families also indicated that the emergency extended beyond those already killed or injured. Residents in threatened locations were moved as crews worked to keep the fires from reaching additional homes and communities.
The immediate priorities were continuing firefighting operations, treating the injured and keeping people away from active fire zones. The exceptional heatwave remained an important factor in the conditions under which the emergency unfolded.
Officials’ figures provide a snapshot of a rapidly developing crisis: 154 outbreaks in one day, 36 of them in Bejaia, with 12 confirmed deaths across three northeastern provinces and 54 people injured. Further assessments were expected to clarify the full extent of the damage after the fires were brought under control.
