At least 12 people have been killed and dozens injured as wildfires burn through large swathes of northern Algeria.
54 people had suffered burn injuries, with six of them being treated in intensive care, Interior Minister, Said Sayoud said on Wednesday night.
Civil protection authorities announced dozens of blazes swept through several provinces along the country’s northern coastline.
Five people were killed in Jijel province, four in Bejaia and three in Tizi Ouzou, Sayoud said.
Sayoud travelled to Bejaia with the Algerian Health Minister Mohamed Messaoudene to “assess” local firefighting and evacuation efforts.
READ ALSO: Wildfires Ravage Kenyan Mountain Forest
The deaths come as northern Africa swelters under a severe heatwave, with Tunisia and Algeria particularly affected.
Many homes in Bejaia and Jijel have been evacuated, according to the civil protection agency and local media.
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 Organisation, 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.
BBC/Shakirat Sadiq
