At least 11 people, including several children, have died after a fire tore through an orphanage in Algeria’s capital, Algiers, as the country battles a severe heatwave that has triggered hundreds of wildfires across its northern regions.
The blaze broke out before dawn on Thursday at the orphanage located in the Mohammadia suburb of Algiers. Firefighters rushed to the scene and worked for hours to contain the flames.
A resident of the area, Abdessalam Merrah, said emergency responders arrived around 3 a.m. as terrified children cried for help.
“We tried to assist in any way we could, but we later learned that 11 people had already lost their lives,” he said.
The Algerian Civil Defence described the death toll as provisional, adding that 19 other people sustained injuries. Authorities have yet to determine the cause of the fire.
Rachid Belhadj, head of the forensic medicine department at Mustapha Bacha Hospital, said several victims were burned beyond recognition, making DNA testing necessary for identification.
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President Abdelmadjid Tebboune confirmed that several children were among those killed, while Prime Minister Sifi Ghrieb visited injured survivors receiving treatment at hospitals in Algiers.
The tragedy comes as Algeria experiences an intense heatwave that has
An orphanage fire in Algiers has killed at least 11 people, including children, as Algeria battles a severe heatwave and widespread wildfires across the country.
widespread fires across the country.
State media reported that civil defence authorities recorded 932 fires between July 8 and July 15, with most now under control, although some remain active.
In the northern province of Setif, a municipal worker died while helping to combat one of the fires.
To tackle the crisis, the Civil Defence has deployed more than 19,000 personnel, over 700 firefighting vehicles, six helicopters and 12 water-bombing aircraft.
Residents have also been evacuated from affected areas in the provinces of Bejaia, Guelma, Bouira and Mila.
Northern Algeria experiences destructive forest fires almost every summer, with authorities attributing the worsening situation to prolonged drought and the effects of climate change.
Officials have also alleged that some recent fires were deliberately started, leading to the arrest of several suspects.