A week of deadly wildfires in northern Algeria & Tunisia

Sentinel-3 OLCI FR & SLSTR RBT acquired on 06 August 2021 at 09:57:29 UTC
Sentinel-3 OLCI FR & SLSTR RBT acquired on 12 August 2021 at 10:03:04 UTC
Sentinel-3 SLSTR RBT acquired on 13 August 2021 at 09:36:53 UTC
Sentinel-3 OLCI FR & SLSTR RBT acquired on 14 August 2021 at 09:49:59 UTC
Author(s): Sentinel Vision team, VisioTerra, France - svp@visioterra.fr
Keyword(s): Wildfires, emergency, climate change, global warming, heatwave, forestry, Algeria, Tunisia.
Fig. 1 - S3 OLCI (12.08.2021) - North Africa has been sweltering under searing heat. From 9 August 2021, over 90 wildfires have started in northern Algeria.
3D view
Fig. 2 - S3 OLCI (14.08.2021) - They burnt over 1000 km², killing 90 people which of 57 civilians and 33 soldiers while 15 fires have burnt 80 km², in Tunisia.
3D animation
Fig. 3 - S3 OLCI (06 & 14.08.2021) - Multidate composite highlighting the loss of vegetation within a week.
3D animation
To add to the tragedy, an artist and social activist was present in Kabylia, the most affected region, to help residents put out the fires. He was killed by a mob that believed that "he started the wildfire" due to his Arab ethnicity.
Fig. 4 - S3 SLSTR (12.08.2021) - Multiple wildfires were raging from eastern Tunisia to western Algeria, near Oran.
3D view
The government send out several different helicopters which have a capacity of a 1000 liters. On 12 August, France sent over two firefighting aircrafts with a capacity of 6000-7000 liters. Two other planes from Spain were expected on 13 August and another from Switzerland on 14 August.
Fig. 5 - S3 SLSTR (06 & 14.08.2021) - Multidate composite showing the increase in burnt area along the coast.
3D animation
The Algerian president said a “solidarity fund” will provide some financial aid to families affected by the fires, which have destroyed homes, olive groves and animals that provide livelihoods in the region.
The views expressed herein can in no way be taken to reflect the official opinion of the European Space Agency or the European Union.
Contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data 2024, processed by VisioTerra.
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