Wildfires kill dozens as extreme heat sweeps across Algeria, Turkey, Europe

Beatrice Farhat

Jul 26, 2023

This image grab taken from AFPTV video footage shows smoke clouds covering the sky during wildfires in the forests of Bejaia in northern Algeria. — This image grab taken from AFPTV video footage shows smoke clouds covering the sky during wildfires in the forests of Bejaia in northern Algeria on July 25, 2023. Algerian firefighters on July 25 battled blazes that have killed 34 people across the tinder-dry north, destroyed homes and coastal resorts, and turned vast forest areas into blackened wastelands. — AFPTV/AFP via Getty Images

Extreme heat waves exacerbated by the climate crisis, according to scientists, are sweeping across Southern Europe and the Mediterranean this month, causing intense wildfires across the region.

A wildfire that has been raging in Algeria over the last few days has been contained, state TV reported on Wednesday. Authorities said around 8,000 firefighters were deployed across the country to bring the fires under control.

According to the Interior Ministry, 97 fires in 16 provinces killed 34 people, including 10 soldiers who were fighting the flames in the northeastern province of Bejaia. Another 1,500 people were forced to evacuate their homes.

Algeria battles wildfires every summer, but these fires have worsened due to climate change, according to Relief Web. In August 2022, at least 100 fires burned across the country, killing 43 people and injuring more than 200 others.