In brief
A devastating fire at a foster care home in Algiers on Thursday morning claimed eleven lives and left 19 others wounded, with emergency services still battling the blaze when the report came in. Authorities did not release age details of the victims, but five children with special needs were moved to a safe location by firefighters. The incident unfolded amid a weeks‑long heatwave that has caused more than 1,000 fires in the country. Prime Minister Abderrahmane Sifi Ghrieb visited injured residents in two Algiers hospitals following the tragedy.
At around 06:50 local time, the civil protection department reported that a fire at a foster care facility in Algiers had killed eleven people and injured 19 others.
Firefighters were still attending to the blaze when the update was issued. While the authorities did not disclose the ages of those harmed, they confirmed five people with special needs were relocated to a safe shelter by the emergency services.
The tragedy occurred during a prolonged heatwave that has already seen nearly 1,000 fires recorded across Algeria in the past week.
Prime Minister Abderrahmane Sifi Ghrieb visited hospitals in Algiers to meet with the injured, with a photo of the leader holding a child posted by state media. The incident underscores the urgent need for improved fire safety measures in vulnerable facilities during extreme weather conditions.
