BEJAIA — Six of the injured people are in critical condition following the blazes. Dozens of families were evacuated from areas affected by the fires as emergency crews worked to contain the spread.

Residents in Jijel sought refuge in a post office as thick smoke filled the area. Interior Minister Said Sayoud visited a hospital in Souk El Thenine, Bejaia, to evaluate treatment for victims of the disaster.

Health Minister Mohamed Seddik Ait Messaoudene traveled to Bejaia with Interior Minister Said Sayoud to assess firefighting and evacuation efforts. The two ministers coordinated with local officials to review the response operations in the hardest-hit areas.

Eighteen hotspots remained active in Bejaia province as of August 27. Fires were also burning in 12 municipalities in Jijel province, complicating containment efforts in that region. Firefighting teams have contained blazes in Skikda, El Tarf, Bouira, Tizi Ouzou, and Tebessa provinces.

Why It Matters

The death toll from these wildfires adds to a growing list of casualties in Algeria during the summer of 2026. At least six people were killed in wildfires in Algeria last month, indicating a persistent danger throughout the season. More than 2,000 blazes were recorded across Algeria in July, demonstrating the scale of the challenge facing civil protection agencies.

The current incident echoes a deadly event from three years ago. Thirty people were killed in wildfires in the Bejaia region on August 27, 2023. The recurrence of high casualty events in the same region shows the ongoing vulnerability of these provinces to extreme fire weather.

Timeline

On August 26, 2026, Interior Minister Said Sayoud stated that Civil Protection teams recorded 154 fire outbreaks across Algeria on Wednesday. Also on August 26, 2026, 36 fire outbreaks were recorded in Bejaia province, with 18 brought under control. On August 27, 2026, at least 12 people were killed in wildfires in northeastern Algeria. Later that day, it was confirmed that five deaths occurred in Jijel province, four in Bejaia province, and three in Tizi Ouzou province.

What's New

This report includes context that thirty people were killed in wildfires in the Bejaia region three years ago. It also notes that more than 2,000 blazes were recorded across Algeria in July. Health Minister Mohamed Seddik Ait Messaoudene traveled to Bejaia with Interior Minister Said Sayoud to assess firefighting and evacuation efforts.

Geographic details clarify that Bejaia is city and commune in Algeria. Jijel is province of Algeria. Tizi Ouzou is commune of Algeria. The World Meteorological Organization stated that North Africa has experienced the most rapid warming of Africa's six subregions, at 0.43C per decade between 1991 and 2025.