“Heartfelt condolences to the government and people of Algeria for the casualties and dozens of injuries caused by the devastating wildfires spreading across the Jijel, Bejaia, and Tizi Ouzou provinces in the nation’s northeast,” he stated on the social media platform X.

He also extended his sympathies to the families of the deceased and wished a speedy recovery to the injured. Wildfires have been reported in several Algerian provinces amidst record temperatures and an intense heatwave affecting the country.

According to reports from the nation’s Ministry of the Interior, all available human and material resources—including aerial support from planes and helicopters—were mobilized through coordination between Civil Protection teams and units of the People’s National Army.

Operations are ongoing to extinguish remaining hotspots, fully bring the flames under control, and protect the population and their property. Several regions of the nation, particularly in the north, have been experiencing extremely high temperatures for days.

In recent years, major wildfires have caused dozens of deaths and destroyed thousands of hectares of forest and agricultural land, as well as numerous homes.

The sustained rise in temperatures, linked to accelerating global warming, increases the risk of recurring heatwaves and wildfires. In Algeria, warming is progressing at a rate twice the global average.

jdt/ocs/bbb