At least 11 killed in Algeria orphanage fire

At least 11 killed in Algeria orphanage fire
Civil Protection crew attend a fire at an orphanage in the Algerian capital Algiers on 16 July, 2026.
Algerian Civil Protection

At least 11 people have been killed and 19 injured in a fire at an orphanage on the outskirts of the Algerian capital, state media reported. The blaze broke out early on Thursday at the institution in the eastern suburbs of Algiers.

Emergency crews rescued five people with disabilities from the orphanage. Those injured suffered burns of varying severity, as well as shortness of breath and shock, the north African country’s Civil Protection Agency said. 

It added that firefighting operations were continuing. Details are yet to be released about the identities of victims, their ages or what caused the fire.

Algerian Civil Protection
Civil Protection crew attend at the scene of a fire at an orphanage in the Algerian capital Algiers on 16 July 2026.
Algerian Civil Protection

Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune expressed his condolences in a post on Facebook. 

“I ask Allah the almighty to envelop the deceased in His vast mercy, and to grant the injured a speedy recovery,” a translation of an extract of his statement reads. 

Injured victims are being treated at Zeralda Hospital and Mustafa Pasha University Hospital, both in Algiers, Algerian media reported. 

The country's General Directorate of Civil Protection told Algerian TV channel Echourouk News that authorities had opened an investigation into the cause of the incident. 

Civil Protection units extinguished the fire with six fire engines at around 03:32 local time, according to Echourouk News. 

Algeria has been gripped by a heatwave in recent days, with firefighters extinguishing 913 fires nationwide since 8 July, state news agency Algeria Press Service reported on Wednesday, citing the General Directorate of Civil Protection.

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