ALGIERS / Abbas Mimouni / Anadolu

The Algerian authorities on Tuesday/Wednesday night evacuated residents of areas threatened by forest fires in the town of Seraidi in the Annaba province in eastern Algeria, and evacuated the area's hospital, while firefighting operations continue.

The General Directorate of Civil Protection (Civil Defense) said in a statement that forest fires in the town of Seraidi spread rapidly due to record high temperatures and strong winds, stressing that all human and material resources have been mobilized to control the situation.

It added that the evacuation operations included residents living in the threatened areas, while patients of Seraidi Hospital were transferred to safe places according to a proactive plan to ensure their safety and the continued provision of healthcare.

The directorate explained that ground firefighting teams, supported by aerial means, continue fire suppression operations without interruption, in coordination with the National People's Army and various security agencies.

It called on citizens to comply with the authorities' instructions, not to go to the affected areas or approach the fire sites, and to rely on official data and avoid rumors.

In the latest tally as of 9 p.m. local time (20:00 GMT) on Tuesday, Algeria recorded 170 fires, of which 104 were extinguished, while efforts to extinguish 66 fires continue in 19 provinces.

In this context, Minister of Communication Zouahir Bouammama announced that Minister of Interior, Local Communities and Transport Saïd Saïyoud had headed to Annaba province to follow firefighting efforts and check on the conditions of affected citizens.

Bouammama affirmed, via a post on the American platform "Facebook", that state institutions have mobilized various resources to confront the fires and stand with the residents in the affected provinces.

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

According to Civil Defense data, the total number of fires recorded since May 1 until July 20 reached 3,719 fires, 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 fires have destroyed more than 1,666 hectares of vegetation cover during the mentioned period, compared to 467 hectares during the same period last year.

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