ALGIERS, July 21 (Xinhua) -- Six people have been killed in wildfires sweeping across northern Algeria as a prolonged heat wave continues to fuel forest and vegetation fires in several provinces, the Algerian Ministry of the Interior, Local Authorities and Transports said Tuesday.
Nassim Bernaoui, spokesperson for Algeria's Civil Protection Department, said 1,460 wildfires have been recorded nationwide since the beginning of July.
Speaking to state radio, Bernaoui said Civil Protection teams have contained between 85 and 90 percent of the blazes through operations conducted in coordination with the army, the General Directorate of Forests, local authorities, other relevant institutions, and volunteers.
Firefighting efforts are continuing to extinguish the remaining fires and prevent them from spreading in the provinces of Annaba, Bejaia, Guelma, El Tarf, Khenchela, Mila, Bouira, Medea and Mascara, he said.
Bernaoui said Algeria has recorded a total of 3,719 wildfires since the beginning of May, compared with 1,501 during the same period last year.
According to the General Directorate of Forests, the fires have destroyed more than 1,666 hectares of vegetation, up from 467 hectares burned during the same period in 2025.
