Devastating fires in Algeria mobilize solidarity in Marseille

In Algeria, fires of rare violence struck the north east of the country at the end of August. The fire spread along the coast and in the mountains near the towns of Jilel and Béjaia in particular. The Algerian authorities have not communicated on the number of victims since August 26. Their latest provisional report shows 12 dead and 54 injured, but independent counts indicate that the flames may have killed more than 200 people. Faced with the scale of the disaster, individuals and associations are mobilizing in Marseille to collect donations and send them to the Algerian disaster victims.

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On her phone, Momo scrolls through videos of the fires that reach her thanks to social networks. His family lives in El Milia. Their house was surrounded by fire. “Luckily my neighbor took my wife out,” he breathes. According to him, they escaped death, said Momo. But a family friend lost his wife and four children to burns, he explains. From Marseille, he launches calls for donations on TikTok. Once received, he stacks them in his garage where he usually washes cars.

“Everything has been burned, there is nothing left”

In Momo's garage, we find diapers and medicine. Fathia, just dropped off a bag. “I gave Biafine, compresses, Doliprane. It’s a horror… It’s dramatic. We feel helpless because we are far away. We have to mobilize to help them as much as possible,” she confides.

Four vans full of donations have already left Momo's garage towards Algeria. Raja, who chairs an association, welcomes the civic enthusiasm with her friend Farida, who came from Paris to give her a hand in organizing the transport of donations. "I am very happy that there is solidarity. There are people who came with their trucks and did the transport. Others came to pay for gas or a ticket for others. There are dead people everywhere in all these villages. Everything has been burned, there is nothing left."

A car and a trailer loaded with donations will leave Momo's garage on Saturday to board a ferry, heading to Algeria.