Volunteers have mobilised across Algeria’s northeastern Jijel province to provide food, water and other essential supplies to families displaced by devastating wildfires.
Residents forced from their homes have taken refuge in schools serving as temporary shelters, where relief materials are being collected and distributed to those affected.
The displaced families include residents from the municipalities of Djemaa Beni Habibi and Bordj Tahar, among the areas badly affected by the fires.
Nawara Bouhanach, a wildfire survivor from Djemaa Beni Habibi, described the terrifying experience of fleeing the flames.
“When the fire broke out, I ran for my life,” she said.
“There were around 800 people, maybe more, all the residents from here. You should have seen the scene. I was at the mosque and I came straight here, to the school. I have nothing left. I no longer have a house, I no longer have a village, nothing.”
Saïd Bouzit, a volunteer helping displaced residents at Taleb Abdelkrim School in Djemaa Beni Habibi, said the scale of the disaster had made it difficult to determine the exact number of people sheltering there.
“There are around 800 people, perhaps more, perhaps fewer. It is difficult to establish an exact count given the scale of the tragedy,” he said.
“The situation these people are facing is truly heartbreaking. For our part, we are doing our duty.”
Medical teams have also been deployed to the temporary shelters to provide treatment and assistance to displaced residents.
The wildfires have killed at least 12 people and caused widespread destruction, with homes and entire villages damaged or destroyed and thousands of residents forced to flee their communities.
Volunteers have been working to deliver basic necessities, including drinking water, bread and milk, to families affected by the disaster as relief efforts continue.
