Algeria: A thousand fires in a week, one of which claims 11 lives in an orphanage

At least 11 people, including children, were killed and 19 others injured in a fire that broke out early yesterday at an orphanage on the outskirts of the Algerian capital, according to the Algerian Civil Protection Authority. The country is currently facing a severe heatwave, during which nearly a thousand fires were recorded over the past two weeks.

The fire erupted at the “Al-Tifla Al-Musaa’afa” (Assisted Childhood) institution located in the municipality of Mohammadia, the Authority stated in a press release. Rescue teams rushed to the scene around 3 a.m.

In a statement, the Authority noted that the “preliminary casualty toll” recorded “11 deaths,” in addition to “the medical evacuation and transport of 19 injured individuals.” Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune expressed his sorrow over the death of children in the fire, the cause of which was not immediately known.

Prime Minister Aymen Benabderrahmane visited the injured at the Major Burns Hospital in Zeralda, on the outskirts of Algiers, and subsequently at Mustapha Pasha Hospital in the capital, as reported by state television.

Meanwhile, several regions in Algeria have been experiencing an exceptional heatwave for days, particularly in the north. The mayor of Beni M’hidi in the Sétif province in the northeast announced the day before yesterday the death of a 59-year-old municipal worker who died while participating in firefighting operations, according to local media reports.

Over a one-week period, from July 8 to 15, the Civil Protection Authority recorded 933 fires, “913 of which were extinguished” by Wednesday, according to Colonel Karim Harbi, Deputy Director of Operations, speaking to the Algerian News Agency (APS). Civil Protection agencies reported deploying more than 19,000 personnel and over 700 fire trucks and specialized forest fire-fighting equipment, along with six helicopters and 12 water-dropping aircraft.