On Sunday, Algerian firefighters were actively combating fires in the northeastern Kabylie region, with local media and an AFP journalist reporting that families had been ordered to evacuate. Ennahar Online, citing a forest official, stated that residents were instructed to abandon their homes in Tizi Ouzou province, although the exact number of affected individuals was not immediately clear. Numerous wildfires erupted in Tizi Ouzou since Friday, but most have either been contained or are expected to be soon, according to civil defence official Nassim Bernaoui. "The situation is under control, but fires continue to flare up in hard-to-reach areas," he informed AFP in Ait Frah village, south of Tizi Ouzou city. The AFP journalist witnessed olive groves and fig orchards being devoured by flames, along with hen coops, beehives, and some homes. Authorities in Bejaia province, close to Tizi Ouzou, ordered the evacuation of approximately 20 families from Mezouara village, situated near a forest where fires were intense on Sunday. Online videos displayed a water bomber being used to assist in controlling the forest fire. Wildfires are a frequent occurrence during the summer in northern Algeria, increasingly intensified by drought and heatwaves, which scientists attribute to climate change. Over 30 people perished in extensive fires that devastated Bejaia in July 2023, resulting in the destruction of thousands of acres of forests and agricultural lands, as well as hundreds of homes.