Algeria: Funerals held for victims of deadly wildfires
The 12 casualties of the wildfires in the northeastern Jijel province of Algeria were buried on August 28th.
Casualties of the wildfires in the northeastern Jijel province of Algeria were buried on August 28th, according to Africa News AP.
The death toll remains at 12, with a further 54 people injured.
President Abdelmajid Tebboune declared three days of national mourning on 27th August.
Prime Minister Sifi Ghrieb travelled to the regions earlier in the week to help coordinate the damage-control response. He also joined the grieving family members in Djemaa Beni Habibi for the funeral proceedings.
The latest tragedy follows a summer of severe wildfire activity across northeastern Algeria, particularly in July.
On July 21st, six were killed as fires intensified due to the intense heatwave and strong winds. The following day, July 22nd, 11 were killed, including children and staff, and 19 were wounded, in a fire at an orphanage on the periphery of Algiers.
Algerian Civil Protection units were deployed extensively as authorities worked to contain the spread and evacuate residents from affected areas.
Over 19,000 personnel, 700 trucks, six helicopters, and 12 water-bombing aircraft were mobilised to combat forest fires.
The response has placed considerable pressure on firefighting services during an already challenging summer.
Authorities reported 159 fires across the country as of August 29th, 90 of which had been extinguished and 69 remained active, highlighting the severity of a summer in which more than 2,000 fires were recorded in July alone amid extreme heat, with Bouchegouf reaching a record 49.7°C on 27th August.
The scale of the emergency became clearer as firefighting efforts continued for weeks. By late July, authorities announced that the country’s major wildfires had been extinguished following a prolonged 20-day operation involving emergency services.
The extreme heat has also caused widespread disruption beyond the fires. A heatwave contributed to major power outages across 16 wilayas (regions), highlighting the strain that exceptionally high temperatures have placed on Algeria’s infrastructure.
The crisis also raised questions over the causes of some fires. Algerian authorities arrested 4 suspects in July over allegations of deliberately starting wildfires, underscoring the challenges facing officials during the country’s increasingly dangerous fire season.
The ongoing outbreaks show how extreme heat and dry conditions have put sustained pressure on Algeria’s emergency services, with communities in the country’s northeast among the hardest hit.
Africa News AP, Maghrebi.org
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