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Wildfires in Algeria
Wildfires broke out in several wilayas across Central and Eastern Algeria on 26 August 2026, and strong winds drove flames toward populated areas as residents evacuated their homes.
“The fires have claimed 12 lives and injured 54 people, including six seriously.”
The fires have claimed 12 lives and injured 54 people, including six seriously, according to the General Directorate of Civil Protection.
Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune declared three days of national mourning on Thursday and cancelled cultural events and sporting competitions.
Interior Minister Said Sayoud said five people died in Jijel province, four in Bejaia and three in Tizi Ouzou, while another 54 people were being treated in hospital for burns.
Civil protection said 46 fires were still burning out of 193 recorded over the previous 24 hours as firefighters continued battling the blazes.
Numbers, roads, and heat
RFI reported that three major roads connecting regions in eastern Algeria were closed because of forest fires near the cities of Bejaia, Jijel and Setif, while weather conditions complicated firefighting operations.
Interior ministry spokesman Said Sayoud said, "Adverse weather conditions, rising temperatures, strong and intense winds, and high concentrations of smoke prevented the continued deployment of aircraft in the fire-fighting operations," as civil protection continued to fight the flames.
By 8 p.m. local time on Wednesday, another source said authorities had registered 159 vegetation fires across several Algerian provinces, with firefighters extinguishing 90 and 69 remaining active.
The same account said Bejaia faced the largest concentration of active fires, with 18 still burning, followed by Skikda with 13, Tizi Ouzou with 12 and Jijel with seven.
BBC also said Tebboune announced three days of mourning for victims of deadly fires raging across the country, with at least 12 people dead in wildfires burning through parts of northern Algeria.
Mourning and response pressure
Algeria entered a second day of national mourning on Friday as firefighters continued to battle wildfires in the north of the country that have killed at least 12 people and injured dozens more.
“"With a heavy heart and a soul in mourning at the tragedy of the loss of our fellow citizens,"”
Tebboune said in a statement announcing the mourning period, "With a heavy heart and a soul in mourning at the tragedy of the loss of our fellow citizens," as civil protection reported 46 fires still burning out of 193 recorded over the previous 24 hours.
The scale of the emergency extended beyond where deaths were recorded, with one report describing 69 fires still active by Wednesday evening and multiple simultaneous outbreaks requiring emergency services to confront dozens of them.
That same account said President Abdelmajid Tebboune instructed senior government officials to oversee the response, with Interior Minister Said Sayoud and Health Minister Mohamed Seddik Ait Messaouden travelling to Bejaia to monitor firefighting operations and visit the injured.
The BBC said the fires extended to parts of northern Algeria including Jijel province, and it noted scientists had warned climate change is compounding the severity and intensity of deadly seasonal fires.