Misleading Photos Shared in Relation to Algeria’s Wildfires
The Claim
The images show the recent wildfires in Algeria.
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Social media users have recently circulated images claiming they were taken during the recent wildfires in Algeria.
Misbar’s Analysis
Misbar has investigated the circulating claim and found it to be misleading. The images are outdated and were taken in other countries.
The Images Are Unrelated to the Recent Wildfires in Algeria
The first image was captured in Portugal. The picture shows a wildfire in central Portugal that raged for a week in a UNESCO-designated natural park. The fire was brought under control on August 12 but flared up again on August 16, 2022.
The second image is also unrelated to the wildfires in Algeria. It was taken near Belin-Beliet, southwestern France, overnight on August 11, 2022, by Thibaud Moritz for Agence France Presse. The image, among others, depicts firefighters and volunteer farmers trying to extinguish the blaze on site.
The third image is unrelated to the wildfires in Algeria. It was uploaded to the Getty Images store on July 23, 2022, and shows a forest catching fire near Midpines, northeast Mariposa, California.
The fourth image was taken in 2010. It shows ARFF Marines spraying the approaching fuel fire during a night fire training exercise at the fuel fire pit.
The last image is also unrelated to the recent wildfires in Algeria. It was taken in September 2019 as a firefighter extinguishing a fire in a forest at Rambutan village in Ogan Ilir, South Sumatra's province, after Malaysia put pressure on neighboring Indonesia to tackle the wildfires.
The Recent Wildfires in Algeria
At least 38 people have been killed and at least 200 more people suffered from burns and respiratory problems from the smoke after 14 provinces were affected by the wildfires, according to France 24.
Local media outlets showed people fleeing their burning homes, mentioning that nearly 350 people had fled their homes. A family was found dead at home.
Since early August, 106 fires have broken out in Algeria, destroying 800 hectares of forest and 1,800 hectares of woodlands, France 24 reported.
Misbar has already debunked other claims shared in relation to the recent fires in Algeria.
Read More
2021 Photo From Greece Shared as Photo of the Recent Wildfires in Algeria
