ALGIERS/ Hassan Jabril/ Anadolu

Algerian authorities on Tuesday announced the deaths of 6 people due to forest fires that have hit the country in recent days.

The Interior Ministry said in a statement: 'Following the fires that some provinces of the country witnessed in recent days, six deaths have been recorded,' without further details.

It noted that instructions were issued to local authorities to conduct 'a comprehensive inventory and counting process of all recorded losses, to compensate those affected by forest fires based on reports from provincial committees overseeing accurate field investigations.'

The ministry did not specify the provinces where the victims fell, but most provinces in northern Algeria, in addition to palm oases in southern provinces, have been experiencing continuous fires for about two weeks.

It added that 'the authorities, through various relevant institutions and services, continue to mobilize all human and material resources to protect lives and property, including involving aircraft and helicopters in extinguishing fires that have affected and continue to affect forests and agricultural crops, until all hotspots are eliminated.'

In the latest update published by Civil Protection on Tuesday afternoon, 90 fires were recorded in forests, bushes, scrublands, agricultural crops and palm trees, of which 26 were extinguished, while extinguishing operations continue for 64 fires spread across 18 provinces.

According to the same source, the largest number of hotbeds were concentrated in northeastern Algeria, in Skikda province which recorded 16 fires, followed by El Tarf with 8 fires, then Bejaia with 7 fires, and Guelma with 6 fires.

The fires coincide with record temperatures in Algeria for more than two weeks, reaching 49 degrees Celsius in coastal cities overlooking the Mediterranean, accompanied by hot, strong southerly winds locally known as 'Shehili'.

Over the past 12 days, Algeria recorded 1,460 fires across the country, according to a previous tally by the General Directorate of Civil Protection, while intervention teams continue extinguishing operations in affected provinces.

According to Civil Protection data, the total number of fires recorded from May 1 to July 20 reached 3,719, compared to 1,501 during the same period in 2025, an increase of nearly 150 percent.

Data from the General Directorate of Forests indicate that the fires have destroyed more than 1,666 hectares of vegetation cover, compared to 467 hectares during the same period last year.

This tally represents the highest level of losses in vegetation cover since the extensive fires that Algeria witnessed in summer 2021.