A fire that broke out in the early hours of Thursday at a state-run institution for children in the Mohammadia suburb of Algiers has left at least 11 people dead and 19 injured, according to Algerian civil protection officials. The blaze was reported at 03:32 local time at the Centre for Assisted Childhood, a residential facility for orphans and vulnerable minors. Emergency services deployed six fire engines, six ambulances, a mechanical ladder truck, and specialist teams to tackle the flames and evacuate residents.

Of the 19 injured, local medical sources report that ten sustained burns of varying severity, two were treated for respiratory distress, and seven received care for psychological shock. Five residents with special needs were relocated to a place of safety. The civil protection authority described the casualty figures as provisional, noting that search and clearance operations were continuing at the site.

Prime Minister Saifi Gharib, acting on the instructions of President Abdelmadjid Tebboune, visited survivors at the Zeralda burns hospital and the Mustapha Bacha university hospital in the capital. He conveyed official condolences to the families of the deceased. Later on Thursday, the victims were buried at the Sidi Razine cemetery in the Baraki district, with the funeral attended by the prime minister and several cabinet members, state television reported.

No cause has yet been established for the fire, and authorities have not released the ages of the victims. The incident occurred as Algeria contends with a severe heatwave and a wave of wildfires that have scorched forests and agricultural land across the country. Civil protection officials said 115 fires were recorded on Wednesday and Thursday alone, though the orphanage blaze is a structural fire and its link, if any, to the broader wildfire crisis remains unclear. An investigation into the circumstances of the fire is under way.