A devastating fire broke out at a children's home on the outskirts of the Algerian capital on Thursday morning, killing at least 11 people and leaving 19 others injured.
Emergency response teams were dispatched to the scene in the eastern suburb of Mohammadia at around 3:00 am local time, where they fought to bring the flames under control. The pre-dawn blaze struck the Fondation de l'Enfance Assistée, a local facility dedicated to care services.
According to updates from the civil protection agency, emergency workers successfully evacuated five residents with disabilities to safety. However, the fire spread rapidly through the building.
Ten of the injured individuals are currently receiving treatment for severe burns. Emergency officials described the current death toll as preliminary, though they have not yet confirmed the identities or ages of those who died.
National television broadcasts showed Prime Minister Sifi Ghrieb visiting the survivors at the Zeralda Burns Hospital and the Mustapha Pacha Hospital in Algiers to check on their recovery.
The disaster happened during a period of extreme summer weather across North Africa. Algeria has been gripped by an intense heatwave, with emergency services responding to more than 900 separate blazes nationwide over the past week.
While the hot weather has put a strain on local emergency teams, judicial authorities have launched a formal investigation to determine the exact cause of the orphanage fire and to verify whether the property met required safety regulations.
