At least 12 dead as wildfires sweep through northern Algeria

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

Civil protection authorities said dozens of blazes swept through several provinces along the country's northern coastline.

At least 54 people had suffered burn injuries, with at least six of them being treated in intensive care, Interior Minister Said Sayoud said on Wednesday night.

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

Sayoud said five people were killed in Jijel province, four in Bejaia and three in Tizi Ouzou.

He has travelled to Bejaia with the Algerian Health Minister Mohamed Seddik Ait Messaoudene to "assess" local firefighting and evacuation efforts, government officials said.

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

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

Firefighters were battling 69 blazes across the country, the civil protection agency said earlier on Wednesday evening.

The Bejaia region saw devastating fires tear through forest and farmland three years ago when 30 people were killed.

Last month, the authorities recorded at least six deaths caused by fires, with crews battling more than 2,000 blazes across Algeria in July alone.

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

The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said 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 also led to an increase in camel deaths during summer heatwaves in Algeria, a recent study revealed.

You may also be interested in:

Even camels can't cope: Africa's ships of the desert hit by rising temperatures

Air conditioner sparked deadly blaze at children's orphanage - police

Go to BBCAfrica.com , external for more news from the African continent.

Follow us on Twitter @BBCAfrica , external , on Facebook at BBC Africa , external or on Instagram at bbcafrica , external

Related topics

BBC Africa podcasts