At least 11 people, including several children, have died after a fire engulfed an orphanage in Algeria’s capital, Algiers, as the country grapples with a severe heatwave that has fuelled hundreds of wildfires. The blaze broke out before dawn on Thursday at the orphanage located in the Mohammadia suburb of……
At least 11 people, including several children, have died after a fire engulfed an orphanage in Algeria’s capital, Algiers, as the country grapples with a severe heatwave that has fuelled hundreds of wildfires.
The blaze broke out before dawn on Thursday at the orphanage located in the Mohammadia suburb of Algiers, prompting an emergency response from firefighters who battled the flames for hours.
A nearby resident, Abdessalam Merrah, told AFP that he was awakened by the sound of fire engines and cries for help.
“At around 3:00 am, we heard the fire engines arriving and the children screaming. We helped as much as we could, but unfortunately, we were told that 11 people had already died,” he said.
Algeria’s Civil Defence described the death toll as provisional, adding that 19 other people sustained injuries in the incident. The cause of the fire has yet to be determined.
Rachid Belhadj, head of the forensic medicine department at Mustapha Bacha Hospital, said some of the victims were burned beyond recognition and would require DNA testing for identification.
President Abdelmadjid Tebboune later confirmed that several of the victims were children.
State television showed Prime Minister Sifi Ghrieb visiting injured survivors receiving treatment at two hospitals in Algiers.
The tragedy comes as Algeria faces an intense heatwave that has triggered widespread wildfires across the country’s northern region.
According to the Civil Defence, 932 fires were recorded nationwide between July 8 and July 15. While most have been extinguished, several remain active.
Authorities said more than 19,000 emergency personnel, 700 firefighting vehicles, six helicopters and 12 water-bombing aircraft have been deployed to contain the blazes.
Residents have also been evacuated from parts of Bejaia, Guelma, Bouira and Mila provinces as firefighters continue efforts to prevent the fires from spreading.
Earlier this week, a municipal worker died while battling a wildfire in Setif province.
Northern Algeria experiences devastating forest fires almost every summer, with officials attributing the worsening outbreaks to prolonged drought and climate change.
The fires have claimed dozens of lives in recent years, destroyed thousands of hectares of forests and farmland, and damaged numerous homes.
AFP
