Algeria Wildfires Claim 12 Lives Amid Sweeping Heatwave

At least 12 people have been killed and dozens injured as wildfires sweep through large swathes of northern Algeria. Civil protection authorities report that dozens of blazes have burned across several provinces along the coastline.

Interior Minister Said Sayoud said at least 54 people suffered burn injuries, with six of them receiving intensive care. The deaths come as a severe heatwave engulfs northern Africa, intensifying the risk of large fires.

Sayoud confirmed that five people died in Jijel, four in Bejaia and three in Tizi Ouzou provinces. He has travelled to Bejaia along with Health Minister Mohamed Seddik Ait Messaoudene to assess local firefighting and evacuation efforts.

Many homes in Bejaia and Jijel were evacuated, according to the civil protection agency and local media. Video from the local broadcaster Jijel News shows residents taking refuge in a post office as thick clouds of smoke billowed around them.

Firefighters are battling 69 blazes across the country, the agency said earlier this week. The Bejaia region had last seen devastating fires three years ago that killed 30 people.

Last month, authorities recorded six deaths caused by fires, and crews battled more than 2,000 blazes across Algeria in July alone. While Algeria regularly experiences forest fires in the summer, climate change has intensified the intensity and severity of recent wildfires.

The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) reported that extreme heat has become common in North Africa, which has seen the fastest warming in African subregions between 1991 and 2025. Rising heat and water shortages have also led to an increase in camel deaths during summer heatwaves in Algeria, a recent study revealed.