A horrific fire at a foster care facility in the Mohammadia suburb of Algiers has left at least eleven people dead and nineteen others injured. The blaze, which broke out in the early hours of Thursday morning, prompted a massive emergency response involving ten fire engines and sixteen ambulances.
While the Algerian civil protection department has yet to release the specific ages of the victims, President Abdelmadjid Tebboune confirmed in a social media statement that children were among those who perished. Local witnesses described the harrowing scene as fire crews arrived at the facility around 03:30 local time.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation, though the incident occurs against a backdrop of extreme weather, with nearly 1,000 fires reported across Algeria in the past week due to a prolonged heatwave. As Prime Minister Sifi Ghrieb visits the injured in local hospitals, the government is facing intense pressure to provide answers.
Opposition groups, including the Jil Jadid party, are already demanding a transparent investigation into potential safety failures and negligence at the facility.
Authorities reported that five individuals with special needs were successfully evacuated and transported to safety, but the broader circumstances surrounding the facility's fire safety standards are now under scrutiny.
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