Algeria Wildfires Highlight Global Fire Crisis with 112 Million Hectares Burned

In northern Algeria, devastating wildfires in late August have claimed at least 12 lives and led to the closure of key highways in Jijel, Béjaïa, and Tizi Ouzou, endangering both residential neighborhoods and farmland. This disaster follows nearly 2,000 wildfires across the country in July, where incidents in Annaba forced over 100 individuals to evacuate and caused damage to nearly 150 homes. As of August 1, 112.3 million hectares had been scorched worldwide, with Africa accounting for 55.1 percent. The Democratic Republic of Congo reported the highest area burned at 13.6 million hectares. By August 27, Europe had seen 634,473 hectares affected, more than twice the average, while Canada and the U.S. experienced around 2 million and 2.4 million hectares burned, respectively.