Algeria battles dozens of forest fires as heatwave fuels blazes

Over the past 24 hours Algeria reported between 73 and 138 forest, brush and agricultural fires across numerous wilayas. The civil protection service said 40 fires were fully contained while 16 remained active, with 17 under surveillance. Teams deployed ground units, mobile columns, and AT‑802 water‑bombing aircraft from bases in Mostaganem, Algiers, Béjaïa, Jijel and Annaba, supported by the army and forest‑conservation services.

Evacuations affected dozens of families – three families (13 people) in Skikda, ten people in Mila and six families (60 people) in other districts – and medical teams treated about 20 individuals, including 18 with respiratory difficulties and two with burns. The interior ministry coordinated the response through the walis of the affected wilayas, maintaining a state of mobilisation and continuous oversight of the operations.