At least 12 dead as wildfires sweep through northern Algeria

At least 12 individuals have been killed and dozens injured as wildfires burn through substantial swathes of northern Algeria.

Key points

• He has travelled to Bejaia with the Algerian Health Minister Mohamed Seddik Ait Messaoudene to "assess" local firefighting and evacuation efforts, administration office-holders noted.
• At least 54 individuals had suffered burn injuries, with at least six of them being treated in intensive care, Interior Minister Stated Sayoud noted on Wednesday night.
• Last month, authorities recorded at least six deaths caused by fires, with crews battling more than 2, 000 blazes throughout Algeria in July alone.
• Sayoud remarked five residents were killed in Jijel province, four in Bejaia and three in Tizi Ouzou.
• Firefighters were battling 69 blazes nationwide, the civil protection agency remarked earlier on Wednesday evening.

Civil protection authorities remarked dozens of blazes swept through a number of provinces along the country's northern coastline.

In practice, the deaths comes as northern Africa swelters under a severe heatwave, with Tunisia and Algeria particularly affected.

Plenty of homes in Bejaia and Jijel have been evacuated, according to the civil protection agency and local media.

Footage shared by local broadcaster Jijel News indicated residents taking refuge in a post office as thick clouds of smoke billowed around them.

In practice, the Bejaia region saw devastating fires tear through forest and farmland three years ago when 30 individuals were killed.

While Algeria regularly experiences forest fires around the summer months, climate change has exacerbated the intensity and severity of recent wildfires in the country.

For context, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) remarked extreme heat had become common in North Africa, a region that has seen the most rapid warming of the six subregions of Africa – 0.43C per decade – between 1991 and 2025.

Rising heat and water shortages have additionally led to an rise in camel deaths during summer heatwaves in Algeria, a recent study made public.

For now, at least 12 dead as wildfires sweep through northern Algeria remains the part of the story worth watching, and further updates are likely as more details are confirmed.