At Least 11 Dead in Orphanage Fire Near Algiers Amid Severe Heatwave

At least 11 people died and 19 were injured in a devastating fire that broke out early Thursday morning at an orphanage in Mohammadia, a suburb of Algiers. The blaze occurred at the Foundation for Assisted Childhood, with emergency services responding around 3:00 AM.

The cause of the fire remains unknown, and authorities have not yet specified the ages of the victims, nor whether children were among those who perished. The Civil Protection services are continuing their efforts to extinguish the remaining flames. The provisional death toll stands at 11.

Prime Minister Sifi Ghrieb visited the injured at hospitals in Zeralda and Algiers. The incident comes amid an exceptional heatwave across Algeria, which has seen nearly a thousand fires in the past week. The Civil Protection reported recording 932 fires between July 8 and July 15, with 913 successfully extinguished.

Algeria's northern regions are frequently affected by wildfires during the summer, a phenomenon exacerbated by drought and high temperatures, often linked to climate change. In recent years, large fires have resulted in numerous deaths, destroyed vast areas of forest and agricultural land, and damaged homes. Authorities have indicated that some fires are intentionally set, and suspects have been apprehended in the past.