Algeria wildfires July 2026

By the end of July 2026, a prolonged heatwave triggered an unprecedented wave of wildfires across northern Algeria. Official counts recorded 1,437 fire incidents that month—465 forest fires in 35 wilayas and 972 agricultural fires in 47 wilayas—with a 24‑hour snapshot showing 195 active blazes in 15 wilayas, including Skikda, Annaba, El Tarf and Béjaïa. The fires killed six people, forced evacuations of whole villages, and devastated thousands of hectares of forest, farmland, livestock and infrastructure.

The interior ministry mobilised water‑bombing aircraft, helicopters, the Algerian People’s Army, civil‑protection units and local municipalities. By 26 July, the government had deployed close to 19,000 firefighters, Canadair planes and an innovative concrete‑mixing pump system that sprays high‑volume water onto hard‑to‑reach fronts—a technique also being examined by French services.

Volunteer organisations, charities and local activists distributed water, meals and aid for injured animals; citizens offered vehicles for transport. Nationwide donation drives and solidarity campaigns supported the response.

Authorities detained four suspected arsonists. The Algerian military government rejected Morocco’s offer of Cañader firefighting aircraft, a decision condemned by political analyst Ahmed Nour‑Eddin as a “crime against humanity” and contrasted with Morocco’s aid to Portugal and Spain during similar crises.

Climate experts link the fire surge to rising temperatures, prolonged drought and successive heat waves across the Mediterranean region.