At least six people have died and thousands have been forced from their homes as wildfires described by Algeria’s Civil Protection agency as “sixth-generation” have swept across the country’s northern wilayas since a heatwave began on 8 July. The agency reported 1,619 separate fires by 22 July, a figure it said had not been recorded in years, with 538 classified as forest fires and the remainder consuming agricultural land, orchards and hay bales. The eastern regions of Skikda, Annaba, Guelma, El Tarf and Jijel have been among the hardest hit.

Interior Minister Saïd Sayoud, speaking during visits to Tlemcen and Guelma to offer condolences on behalf of President Abdelmadjid Tebboune, said the situation was now “under control” and only limited hotspots remained. An aerial fleet of 18 aircraft—including 12 water-bombing planes, two large-capacity military aircraft and several helicopters—has been deployed to support ground crews. In Annaba, the hospital at Seraïdi was evacuated as a precaution and more than 100 people were taken to medical facilities; local authorities said around 150 homes had been damaged. The president has ordered the creation of committees to assess losses and promised compensation before the next social season.

The director-general of forests, Jamal Touahria, told state radio that most fires were caused by human negligence, such as unattended burning or failure to clear vegetation around homes and roads, though some bore a “criminal character” and others were linked to natural factors. A court in Algiers announced that four individuals had been placed in pre-trial detention in Constantine on suspicion of deliberately setting fires on state forest land, with charges that carry severe penalties under Algerian law. Investigations are continuing, and the interior minister said results would be made public once security services and civil protection units had completed their work.

Algerian authorities attribute the intensity of this year’s fires to a combination of dense vegetation following a rainy winter, extreme temperatures, strong winds and abundant dry grass. The Civil Protection agency has characterised the blazes as “sixth-generation” because of their exceptional speed of propagation, the extreme heat they generate and the difficulty of bringing them under control. The provisional toll stands at six dead, with the government emphasising that rapid intervention prevented a higher loss of life. All cultural festivals scheduled for August have been suspended as a mark of solidarity.