Wildfires Kill 12 in Algeria Amid Heatwave

Wildfires Kill 12 in Algeria Amid Heatwave

The News

At least 12 people were killed and 54 injured as wildfires tore through northern Algeria on Wednesday, with authorities fighting more than 150 blazes during a severe heatwave across North Africa.

Six of the injured were in critical condition and receiving intensive care, according to France 24 and Al Jazeera.

Al Jazeera reported 154 fires burning across the country in a single day, concentrated in the northeast.

Timeline

Wednesday, Aug. 26:

Fires spread through several Algerian provinces as a heatwave grips North Africa. Reuters reports 12 people killed across multiple provinces.

Wednesday night:

France 24 reports the death toll at 12 with 54 injured, six of them critical, and authorities battling more than 150 blazes.

Thursday, Aug. 27:

The Jerusalem Post reports 36 fires in Bejaia province alone, of which 18 had been brought under control.

Reactions

Algerian authorities, cited by the wire reports, said crews were deployed across the affected provinces and had contained roughly half the fires in Bejaia, the hardest-hit area.

Coverage from Reuters, France 24, Al Jazeera and the Jerusalem Post has centered on the same figures: 12 dead, 54 hurt, and a fire count in the triple digits driven by extreme heat.

What's Next

The casualty count is preliminary and could rise, with six people still in intensive care.

Firefighting operations continue in Bejaia and the other northeastern provinces where the bulk of the fires are burning, and the heatwave fueling them is forecast to keep sweeping the region.

More

Northern Algeria's forested coastal provinces, Bejaia among them, burn nearly every summer when high heat and wind meet dense woodland. This week's outbreak is unusual for its scale: 154 separate fires reported in one day.

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