Abbas Mimouni and Rania Abushamala
29 August 2026•Update: 29 August 2026
The pace of forest fires in Algeria slowed Saturday as firefighting operations continued in several provinces and major solidarity convoys headed toward affected areas, particularly the eastern province of Jijel.
The Civil Protection Authority said in a statement that 123 fires were recorded between Aug. 28 and 29 as of 7 a.m. local time (0600GMT), of which 118 had been extinguished while five remained active.
Two of the ongoing fires were in Jijel, two in Setif and one in Tebessa, according to the statement.
In Jijel, civil protection teams continued efforts to extinguish a forest fire in the Mechta El-Maissa area of Texenna municipality.
Several families were evacuated from their homes as a precaution before the flames were brought under control and residents were allowed to return, while firefighting operations remained underway.
The authority deployed two AT-802 aircraft to support firefighting crews in Jijel.
Local media reported that the authority mobilized 19,000 personnel to battle the fires across Algeria’s eastern provinces.
Funerals for wildfire victims began Friday in Jijel, with a collective burial held at Dar al-Baqaa cemetery in Beni Habibi municipality. Prime Minister Sifi Ghrieb and several government ministers attended the ceremony.
Authorities also launched a search Friday for missing people in the Djemaa Beni Habibi municipality, according to the provincial civil protection authority.
As firefighting and search efforts continued, Algerians organized large solidarity convoys to deliver assistance to fire-hit areas, particularly Jijel, according to an Anadolu correspondent.
The convoys departed from several provinces carrying food, bedding and other essential supplies for affected residents.
Jijel authorities, meanwhile, began assessing material damage caused by the fires ahead of compensation for those affected.
Algerian Interior Minister Said Sayoud said Wednesday that 12 people had been killed in the wave of fires across several eastern provinces, according to local media.
