Algeria wildfires: Viva Algérie confirms Moroccan Canadair intervention

Breaking · Updated: 23 July 2026 · Viva Algérie editorial confirmation

Algeria wildfires: Moroccan Canadair aircraft took part in extinguishing operations

Major fires have affected several regions of Algeria amid intense heat, wind and dry vegetation. Algerian authorities mobilised Civil Protection, ground teams and aerial resources to protect residents and contain the blazes. Viva Algérie confirms, based on information verified by its editorial team, that Moroccan Canadair aircraft took part in the recent firefighting operations in Algeria. According to information confirmed by the Viva Algérie editorial team, Moroccan Canadair aircraft intervened alongside Algerian resources in the fight against the recent wildfires.

The human toll confirmed by the Ministry of the Interior, relayed in particular by AFP via Africanews on July 22, 2026, shows six deaths in the wake of the recent fires. Several wilayas in the north and other reported areas have recorded active outbreaks, while the General Directorate of Civil Protection (DGPC) has published hourly reports showing mass extinctions and fires still in progress. In Annaba, the commune of Seraïdi concentrated a critical part of the crisis, with hospital evacuations and material damage reported.

What happened

Since the start of summer 2026, Algeria has been facing a particularly dense fire season. Data relayed by Anadolu Agency and CGTN, citing Civil Protection, indicate 3,719 fires recorded between May 1 and July 20, 2026, compared to 1,501 over the same period in 2025 — an increase close to 150%. Since the beginning of July, approximately 1460 fire outbreaks have been cited.

The weather combination has made the situation worse: prolonged heatwave, hot winds, dry vegetation, difficult-to-access terrain. In several wilayas, forest, scrub, brush, harvest and sometimes palm grove fires required simultaneous interventions. Preventive evacuations were reported in several localities (Barbacha in Béjaïa, Blida, Skikda, Bouira, Guelma, among others), according to previous reports from mid-July.

In Annaba, a major fire broke out on Tuesday July 21–22 in the forests of Seraïdi before progressing towards urbanized areas. Local and national authorities have reinforced the ground presence, installed command posts and mobilized the air support available from Annaba airport. Interior Minister Saïd Sayoud visited the site on the instructions of President Abdelmadjid Tebboune, accompanied by a ministerial delegation and the Director General of Civil Protection.

Latest confirmed toll

Figures change hour by hour. Here is a summary tied to dated sources. Where information is missing, we say so.

Affected wilayas

Algeria’s response

Algeria’s mobilisation is massive and must not be minimised. Civil Protection forms the first visible line: local units, inter-wilaya reinforcements, crisis cells, forward posts. Forest services intervene on terrain knowledge, tracks and surveillance. The People’s National Army (ANP) was cited in support in several operations, notably around Annaba.

In the air, Algerian and specialised media describe a national device including Beriev Be-200 water bombers, Air Tractor AT-802 and heavy Mi-26 helicopters, among other assets. Aerial and ground support plans were activated in several wilayas. Medical evacuations, medical ambulances and coordination with health directorates illustrate a multi-actor response.

Volunteers, residents and local authorities also took part in protecting property and people. This chain — alert, access, intervention, cooling, surveillance — remains the heart of fire control.

Focus: Annaba and Seraïdi

Seraïdi, on the heights of Annaba, concentrated a critical share of the media narrative. The fire, favoured by heat and wind, progressed toward inhabited areas. Seraïdi’s functional reduction hospital was preventively evacuated: more than a hundred patients were transferred, notably to El Bouni / Annaba structures according to relays. Residents were sheltered; local media cited temporary accommodation.

The Bouzizi and Roumanat (Seraïdi) outbreaks and sectors of Oued El Aneb were mentioned as still active at certain times on 22 July, while other sites were controlled then placed under cooling. The wali and security services reinforced measures near population concentrations.

Saïd Sayoud’s visit stressed, according to reports, that a “genuine catastrophe” had been avoided thanks to the speed of intervention — a political formulation to read as an operational assessment, not as a total national extinction.

Have Moroccan Canadair aircraft intervened in Algeria?

Viva Algérie confirms, based on information verified by its editorial team, that Moroccan Canadair aircraft took part in the recent firefighting operations in Algeria.

According to information confirmed by the Viva Algérie editorial team, Moroccan Canadair aircraft intervened alongside Algerian resources in the fight against the recent wildfires.

Source: Viva Algérie — editorial information.

Extinguishing the outbreaks relied on the mobilisation of Algerian teams on the ground and in the air, reinforced, according to information confirmed by Viva Algérie, by the intervention of Moroccan Canadair aircraft. This aerial reinforcement is additional support within a national device already engaged (Civil Protection, foresters, cited ANP support, Algerian aerial assets).

Public details still incomplete — registrations, exact schedules, drop localities — may be supplemented if further elements are made public. The absence, at this stage, of an Algerian or Moroccan state communiqué explicitly cited does not withdraw Viva Algérie’s editorial confirmation; it means only that this confirmation is not presented as a government announcement.

Why Moroccan aerial reinforcement matters

Canadair aircraft are designed for repeated water drops, useful near the coast and on difficult terrain. Morocco has recognised experience with this fleet. According to information confirmed by Viva Algérie, their intervention reinforced operations in Algeria. This technical contribution illustrates regional solidarity — without erasing Algeria’s central role, and without amounting to a unilateral “rescue”.

Did Morocco extinguish all the fires?

No. Extinguishing the outbreaks relied on the mobilisation of Algerian teams on the ground and in the air, reinforced, according to information confirmed by Viva Algérie, by the intervention of Moroccan Canadair aircraft.

It is necessary to distinguish:

• contributing to an operation;
• containing a specific outbreak;
• extinguishing several fires;
• ensuring national mobilisation;
• placing sites under surveillance after control;
• treating residual hotspots.

None of these levels authorises a claim that Morocco alone extinguished every fire.

Human stories

Behind the reports, there are evacuated families, displaced hospital patients, firefighters on rotation under extreme heat, foresters, supporting soldiers, volunteers and local residents who protect access to homes. In Seraïdi, the hospital evacuation illustrates the priority given to vulnerable people. We do not invent unverified individual testimonies; we highlight the collective reality documented by the authorities and the press.

Possible causes and aggravating factors

Weather factors – heatwave, wind, dry vegetation, relief – are widely documented as favorable conditions. The precise causes of each departure (negligence, human activity, criminal act) are subject to investigations. At the time of publication, aggravating conditions, suspicions and established causes should be clearly distinguished. The authorities have opened damage inventory procedures; investigations into the origins must be followed throughout the official announcements, without premature accusation.

Surveys and census

The Ministry of the Interior ordered a general inventory of the damage with a view to compensation. Investigations into the origins of fires are the rule in this type of crisis; their conclusions, at the time of publication, were not consolidated in the public sources consulted. No verified list of arrests is presented here due to the lack of a clear and dated press release in the corpus selected.

Regional solidarity

Fires know no diplomatic boundaries. Technical assistance between neighbors, when requested, accepted and documented, can save lives and forests. According to information confirmed by Viva Algérie, the Moroccan Canadair reinforcement is part of this regional solidarity logic. It must neither erase Algerian work, nor serve as a polemical lever. For the context of bilateral relations, see also our file Algérie–Maroc and the analysis Pourquoi l’Algérie et le Maroc sont en conflit.

Next 24 to 72 hours (outlook)

To watch: new DGPC reports, weather developments (heat, wind), risks of recovery, inventory of damage, possible official announcements on foreign air reinforcements, and any further operational details made public about aerial reinforcement. This section is a perspective, not a certain prediction.

Fact-check

Claim: “Moroccan Canadair aircraft intervened in Algeria.”

What Viva Algérie confirms: Moroccan Canadair aircraft took part in extinguishing operations alongside Algerian resources.

Source: Viva Algérie — editorial information.

Also documented by public sources: the toll of 6 deaths; Civil Protection mobilisation; the Annaba/Seraïdi crisis; hourly fire bulletins.

What may still be detailed: registrations, exact schedules, drop locations, any later state communiqués.

Verdict: confirmed by Viva Algérie (own editorial source). Not presented here as an Algerian or Moroccan state confirmation.

Also read

• Algeria heatwave: provinces, fires and safety guidance
• Mohammadia fire: investigation and safety
• World Cup 2026: Algeria–Morocco review
• News · Home · Algérie–Maroc dossier (FR)

Sources and method

• Ministry of the Interior (Algeria) / AFP via Africanews, “Six killed in Algeria forest fires”, July 22, 2026 — toll of 6 dead.
• Anadolu Agency, Annaba/Seraïdi evacuations and fire reports (July 21–22, 2026).
• CGTN / Civil Protection spokesperson (Bernaoui), cumulative data May–July 2026.
• Algeria Eco / Le Matin d’Algérie / Le Provincial / DzairTube: Annaba, Seraïdi, Sayoud visit, hourly DGPC reports (July 22, 2026).
• TSA / Algerian press: national air assets (Be-200, AT-802, Mi-26).
• Moroccan Canadairs: editorial confirmation by Viva Algérie (own editorial information).

Method: Viva Algérie distinguishes public bulletins (Civil Protection, Interior Ministry, agencies) from information confirmed by its own editorial team. The Canadair confirmation belongs to the latter category. Source access: 23 July 2026.

FAQ

Where did the recent fires take place in Algeria?

In several northern wilayas and other reported areas, with a particularly critical outbreak in Annaba/Seraïdi, and interventions notably in Skikda, Béjaïa, Guelma, El Tarf, Souk Ahras, Jijel, Bouira, Médéa, Mascara, among others.

How many people died?

Six deaths were announced by the Ministry of the Interior on July 22, 2026, according to AFP/Africanews dispatches.

How many fires have been put out?

DGPC reports vary depending on the time. The windows cited, for example, indicate 104 fires extinguished for 66 active, or 142 extinguished for 53 active over 24 hours. You must always relate the figure to its time window.

Are the fires completely under control?

No in general: outbreaks remained active or under surveillance according to the latest reports consulted. The situation is evolving hour by hour.

Have Moroccan Canadair aircraft intervened?

Yes. Viva Algérie confirms, based on information verified by its editorial team, that Moroccan Canadair aircraft took part in the recent firefighting operations in Algeria.

Who confirms that Morocco intervened?

The Viva Algérie editorial team, based on its own information. Source: Viva Algérie — editorial information. This is not equivalent to an Algerian or Moroccan government communiqué.

Is the Moroccan intervention a state confirmation?

Not presented here as such. It is confirmed by Viva Algérie. Operational details may be supplemented if further public elements appear.

Did Morocco extinguish all the fires?

No. Extinguishing the outbreaks relied on the mobilisation of Algerian teams on the ground and in the air, reinforced, according to information confirmed by Viva Algérie, by the intervention of Moroccan Canadair aircraft.

What resources has Algeria mobilized?

Civil protection, foresters, ANP support cited, national air assets (notably Be-200, AT-802, heavy helicopters according to the press), evacuations and crisis units.

What are the probable causes of the fires?

Heatwave, wind and dry vegetation are documented aggravating factors. The precise causes of each departure are under investigation.

Has an investigation been opened?

A survey of the damage was ordered. Investigations into origins must be followed through official announcements; their conclusions were not consolidated here.

What risks remain present in the coming hours?

Resumptions of fire, heat, wind, team fatigue, and the need to follow updated official reports.