STORY: A wildfire swept through several villages in Algeria’s Bejaia province on Tuesday (August 19), with flames and smoke rising over fields as firefighters and villagers worked to contain it.

Civil protection teams, supported by firefighting planes, sprayed water to bring the blaze under control.

Seventy-year-old villager Maouchi Abdelmajid, from Taourirt Ighil, told Reuters he stayed to protect his family’s land after the fire burned his brother’s field. His son, Namik, said limited access hampered firefighting efforts.

Algeria faces seasonal wildfires each summer, often worsened by extreme heat and drought. Authorities have urged vigilance as the region continues to experience high temperatures and dry winds.

The wildfire, which started earlier this week, has affected several provinces in northeastern Algeria and is being fueled by the heat, authorities said.

DESCRIPCIÓN DE IMÁGENES

Firefighters and villagers battle wildfire in Algeria as temperatures climb

VIDEO SHOWS: VARIOUS OF FLAMES AND SMOKE RISING DUE TO WILDFIRES IN TAOURIRT IGHIL, BEJAIA IN ALGERIA / LOCALS AND FIREFIGHTERS EXTINGUISHING FIRE / SOUNDBITES BY TWO LOCAL VILLAGERS

SHOWS: BEJAIA, ALGERIA (AUGUST 19, 2025) (REUTERS - Access all)

1. VARIOUS OF FLAMES AND SMOKE RISING DUE TO WILDFIRE IN TAOURIRT IGHIL VILLAGE IN BEJAIA PROVINCE

2. FIREFIGHTING TRUCK NEAR THE FLAMES

3. FLAMES AND BLACK SMOKE RISING

4. VARIOUS OF CIVIL PROTECTION PERSONNEL AND FIRE TRUCK SPRAYING WATER TO EXTINGUISH FIRE

5. VARIOUS OF 70-YEAR-OLD VILLAGER, MAOUCHI ABDELMAJID, AND CIVIL PROTECTION PERSONNEL TRYING TO EXTINGUISH FIRE WITH TREE BRANCHES

6. (SOUNDBITE) (Tamazight) 70-YEAR-OLD VILLAGER IN TAOURIRT IGHIL, MAOUCHI ABDELMAJID, SAYING:

“The fire started and burned my brother’s fields. I stayed here and called the firefighters when they came. I wasn’t afraid — I had already cleared my field.”

7. ABDELMAJID LOOKING AT THE SMOKE

8. FLAMES ENGULFING TREE / SMOKE RISING

9. TWO MEN LOOKING AT THE FIRE / FLAMES RISING

10. (SOUNDBITE) (Tamazight) 29-YEAR-OLD VILLAGER IN TAOURIRT IGHIL, NAMIK MAOUCHI, SAYING:

“We try to stop the fire when it approaches because there is no road for firefighters’ trucks to reach us, so we do what we can.”

11. VARIOUS OF SMOKE AND FLAMES RISING

12. MAN WATCHING THE FLAMES

13. VARIOUS OF FIREFIGHTERS EXTINGUISHING THE FIRE WITH WATER HOSES

14. SMOKE AND FLAMES RISING

15. VARIOUS OF FIREFIGHTING PLANES SPRAYING WATER TO EXTINGUISH THE FIRE