Wildfire Map Today Shows 12 Dead and 54 Injured as Algeria Wildfires Surge Amid Heatwave
The wildfire map today highlights active blazes across multiple regions, with at least 12 people killed and 54 injured in northern Algeria, high alert declared across most of Greece including maximum risk on Crete and Rhodes, and Indonesian authorities testing new starch-based suppressants and peatland injection methods to combat fires in South Kalimantan.
Algeria Wildfires Death Toll and Injuries
At least 12 people have been killed and 54 others injured as wildfires tore through northern Algeria's coastline. [3] Interior Minister Said Sayoud confirmed that five deaths were recorded in the prefecture of Jijel, four in that of Bejaia and three in that of Tizi Ouzou. [3] Authorities reported that 54 individuals sustained burn injuries or suffered from severe smoke inhalation, with at least six patients currently receiving critical care in intensive care units. [3] An eight-year-old boy and a 22-year-old woman were among those killed in Bejaia. [5] Civil protection teams and emergency responders mobilised across multiple provinces to combat the flames while evacuating vulnerable residents. [3] Government leadership moved swiftly to the disaster zones, with Minister Sayoud travelling alongside the Algerian Health Minister Mohamed Seddik Ait Messaoudene to assess local firefighting and evacuation procedures at a hospital in the city of Souk El Thenine in Bejaia. [3] Civil protection authorities recorded 154 fire outbreaks nationwide in a single day. [3] Firefighters brought dozens of blazes under control in provinces including Skikda, El Tarf, Bouira, Tizi Ouzou, and Tebessa, though active hotspots continued in Bejaia and Jijel. [3] Many residents in Bejaia and Jijel were evacuated. [5] As of 8:00 pm on Wednesday, firefighters were battling 69 blazes. [5] Three major national highways connecting regions in the east of the country were closed due to forest fires near the cities of Bejaia, Jijel and Setif. [5] The catastrophe unfolds as a punishing heatwave grips North Africa. [3] Scientists note that climate change has escalated the frequency and intensity of these disasters, with North Africa experiencing the fastest warming rate among African subregions at 0.43 degrees Celsius per decade between 1991 and 2025. [3] More than 30 people were killed in July 2023 when fires tore through thousands of hectares of forests and farmland in the area around Bejaia. [5] Authorities recorded nearly 2,000 fires nationwide in July this year. [5]
Wildfire Map Today Shows Greece on High Wildfire Alert
Most of Greece faces high wildfire risk, with central and eastern Crete at maximum category 5, Rhodes, Cyclades, eastern Aegean and Ionian islands at category 4. [2] The greater part of Greece, with the exception of the mountainous Arcadia region in the Peloponnese, a wedge driving south from western Macedonia into central Greece, and parts of eastern Macedonia which are on category 2, faces a category-3 risk on the country’s 5-notch scale. [2] Firefighters, the military and local authorities have been placed on high alert. [2] Officials have warned that strong winds will exacerbate conditions in the coming days, raising the likelihood that any wildfire spreads fast through countryside left tinder-dry by months of drought and high temperatures. [2] Thousands of hectares of land, including large chunks of Greece’s fast-disappearing forests, have been destroyed by wildfires in recent weeks, which also caused seven deaths and burnt down scores of homes. [2]
Indonesian Police Test Starch-Based Suppressant
South Kalimantan police are testing a starch-based liquid to improve efforts to extinguish forest and peatland fires, particularly around Banjarbaru's airport, to prevent smoke from disrupting flights. [1] The flour-based formula mixed with water effectively slowed the spread of fire. [1] The peatland firefighting formula uses cassava starch mixed with ammonium polyphosphate, water and a wetting agent to slow the spread of fire. [1] Water in the mixture absorbs heat and lowers the temperature of vegetation and other combustible material, while cassava starch improves adhesion, helping the liquid remain longer on the ground. [1] The starch also helps distribute moisture more evenly across the land, keeping peat surfaces wet for longer and reducing the risk of fire spreading. [1] South Kalimantan police, working with the Indonesian Palm Oil Association, have also applied a peatland injection method. [1]
Peatland Injection Method and Additional Measures
The injected water is mixed with foam, which acts as a wetting agent to improve moisture penetration into the peat. [1] Trials showed a significant drop in soil temperatures, with an area within about a one-meter radius of injection points becoming cooler and underground fire sources being suppressed. [1] The South Kalimantan police forensic laboratory is currently helping develop and reproduce the wetting-liquid formula for wider use. [1] Deployment aims to begin in three priority areas: Guntung Damar, Liang Anggang protected forest and Pengayuan. [1] Indonesia deploys extra forest rangers for wildfire response and sends water pumps to support Kalimantan wildfire response. [1] Firms distribute masks amid wildfires. [4] The government pays attention to potential impacts on public health and education sector. [4] Firefighting operations must be followed by forest and land rehabilitation initiatives. [4]
Regional Haze Concerns and Diplomatic Coordination
Speaker of Indonesia’s House of Representatives Puan Maharani said she would coordinate with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to address concerns over impacts from wildfires in Kalimantan on neighboring countries. [4] The Ministry of Foreign Affairs continues coordinating with various ministries and other countries while making use of monitoring and information exchange mechanisms recognised by ASEAN. [4] Indonesia had not received any diplomatic note of protest over transboundary haze from the wildfires, with no confirmed official protest notes from Malaysia or Singapore. [4] Indonesia steps up monitoring haze effects on flights in Kalimantan. [4]
What to watch next: Continued coordination through ASEAN mechanisms on transboundary haze, alongside expanded deployment of the starch-based suppressant and peatland injection methods in priority Kalimantan areas.
