News Center - The civil protection agency in Setif said that at least 26 people have died and dozens of others have been injured and more than 800 hectares of woodland have been destroyed in the forest fires that broke out in northern Algeria.

The agency also reported that 350 residents had been evacuated from the region and that 700 civil protection personnel were engaged in extinguishing the fires. The firefighting helicopters used buckets to drop water on fires in three wilayas.

Algeria only has 4.1m hectares of forest. Every year, the north of Algeria is affected by forest fires and the climate crisis has worsened the situation in the country.