Two people were killed and several others injured on Wednesday as forest fires ravaged parts of northeastern Algeria, civil protection authorities and media said.
An eight-year-old boy and a 22-year-old woman died near the city of Bejaia, Radio Soumam reported.
Interior Minister Said Sayoud and Health Minister Mohamed Seddik Ait Messaoudene travelled to Bejaia to assess firefighting operations and the condition of those hurt, the official news agency APS said.
Numerous families were evacuated in several provinces, including Bejaia and Jijel, as flames approached populated areas, various sources said.
As of 8:00 pm (1900 GMT), firefighters were still battling 69 blazes across the country, including 18 in Bejaia and seven in Jijel, the civil protection rescue service said.
It did not say how many people had been evacuated or displaced.
Images broadcast by regional news website Jijel News showed residents seeking refuge in a post office amid thick smoke.
Algeria has grappled with wildfires over the summer, with at least six people killed in several provinces last month, according to the authorities.
Every summer, northern Algeria is hit by forest fires, disasters exacerbated by drought and climate change.
Dozens of people have been killed in recent years, and thousands of hectares of forest and farmland destroyed, along with numerous homes.
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