In brief
An accidental electrical spark from a malfunctioning air‑conditioning unit sparked a deadly fire in a children's orphanage in Algiers, killing 11 and injuring 19. For hours the fire‑fighting teams fought the flames while authorities worked to secure the premises. President Abdelmajid Tebboune condemned the tragedy, and Prime Minister Sifi Ghrieb visited the wounded survivors in hospitals. Public outcry has called for a transparent investigation and urgent review of fire‑safety standards in care facilities across the country.
A deadly blaze erupted in the early hours of Thursday morning in an Algiers orphanage, killing 11 children and injuring 19 more.
Forensic investigators say the fire began when a faulty air‑conditioning unit sparked an electrical fault. The unit had been running continuously amid the summer heat, the police stated, and the spark ignited the building’s flammable interiors.
Fire services battled the flames for at least three hours, deploying ten engines and sixteen ambulances to the scene. A carer working at the facility was among the deceased, as quoted by AFP, and some children with reduced mobility were rescued safely from the trauma.
Algeria’s President Abdelmajid Tebboune and Prime Minister Sifi Ghrieb both reacted openly to the tragedy. Tebboune’s statement expressed sorrow for “children among the dead,” while Ghrieb visited survivors in two hospitals, treating burns, smoke inhalation and shock.
The incident has spurred demands for a transparent investigation and stricter fire‑safety standards in all care homes, hospitals and schools. Opposition groups, journalists and citizens on social media have called for accountability and for the government to ensure such a tragedy cannot recur.
In the midst of an unprecedented heatwave that also sends firefighters battling multiple wildfires across Algeria’s north, the orphanage blaze has shocked the nation and highlighted systemic safety gaps.
