A. Situation analysis
Disaster description
On Sunday night, August 14, 2022, more than 100 wildfires broke out in northeastern Algeria, including Bejaia, Jijel, Souk Afras, El Taref, Setif, Skikda, Tipaza, Tizi Ouzou, Guelma, Batna, Mila, Annaba, Constantine, Borj Bou Alerid.
The fire did not affect residential areas in some wilayas, while in other areas the number of people affected was minimal. A list of Wilayas with the highest number of people affected is shown in the table below.
These fires left 44 people dead and over 250 injured, as well as the evacuation of the Mother and Child medical complex in Souq Afras and the evacuation of over 500 families (2,000 people).
The fire also affected the livelihoods of more than 6,000 people, including farmers who lost dozens of hectares, about 1,000 fruit trees and more than 400 livestock (cattle, sheep, etc.).
The fires have destroyed more than 6,000 hectares, according to figures given to the ARC. The Wilaya of Souk Afras has lost one third of its forest.
The Algerian government mobilized more than 1,200 firefighters (National Civil Protection) and seven firefighting helicopters (Algerian National Army) to respond to the disaster.
The 2021 fires occurred in the wilayas of Tizi Ouzou, Bejaia, Bouira, Setif, Jijel, Boumerdes, Borj Bou Alerizi, Blida, Medea, Kensera, Guelma, Tebessa, Tiaret and Skikda. This year’s fires have restarted in some of the above-mentioned wilayas, including Bejaia, Jijel, Setif, Skikda, Tizi Ouzou, Germa and Borj Bou Alerij. The severity of the fires varies from wilayah to wilayah. For example, the fires that occurred this year in Tiziouz are not as impactful as the fires that occurred in 2021. Meanwhile, this year’s fires in Setif had a bigger impact than last year’s. In terms of forest area lost, this year’s losses are greater than last year.
