At least 12 people have been killed and 54 others injured in a wave of wildfires sweeping northeastern Algeria, authorities said on Wednesday.
The death toll rose sharply from earlier reports of two fatalities after fires spread across the coastal provinces of Bejaia, Jijel and Tizi Ouzou, about 300 kilometres (190 miles) east of the capital, Algiers.
Interior Minister Said Sayoud said five people were killed in Jijel, four in Bejaia and three in Tizi Ouzou.
He added that 54 people were receiving treatment for burns at a hospital in Bejaia, including six whose conditions were described as serious. An eight-year-old boy and a 22-year-old woman were among those killed in Bejaia, according to local media.
Sayoud and Health Minister Mohamed Seddik Ait Messaoudene travelled to Bejaia to assess firefighting operations and inspect the condition of those injured, the state-run APS news agency reported.
Authorities have evacuated residents from several communities in Bejaia and Jijel as firefighters battled the rapidly spreading flames.
The Civil Protection Agency said firefighters were fighting 69 active fires as of 8:00 p.m. (1900 GMT) on Wednesday, with strong winds making containment efforts more difficult.
Several roads have also been affected. The gendarmerie said three major national highways linking eastern regions had been closed because of fires near Bejaia, Jijel and Setif.
Local media footage showed residents fleeing thick smoke, with images from Jijel showing frightened people taking shelter inside a post office as fires spread through surrounding areas.
Authorities have deployed substantial firefighting resources to contain the blazes, which are being fuelled by high temperatures, dry conditions and strong winds.
Wildfires are a recurring threat in northern Algeria during the summer, but increasingly severe heat and prolonged droughts linked to climate change are worsening the frequency and intensity of fires.
In July 2023, more than 30 people were killed when wildfires destroyed thousands of hectares of forests and farmland and damaged hundreds of homes around Bejaia.
Authorities recorded nearly 2,000 fires across Algeria in July this year, highlighting the growing scale of the seasonal threat.
In late July, more than 100 residents were temporarily evacuated from their homes in Annaba after fires swept through the northeastern province, damaging nearly 150 houses.
Algerian authorities frequently investigate major wildfires as possible cases of arson. Four people in Constantine province have already been remanded in custody in connection with the July fires.
