Fire at orphanage in Algiers kills 11, injures 19

Emergency crew members rescue disabled residents as children are among the dead and injured

Rescuers and police officers work at the site of a fire at an orphanage near Algiers, Algeria, Jul 16, 2026. Algerian Civil Protection/Handout via REUTERS

Eleven people, including children, were killed and 19 injured in a fire at an orphanage close to the Algerian capital Algiers early on Thursday, authorities said.

Locals and emergency crews rushed to the building in the Mohammadia district of the province of Algiers, where blackened masonry was visible above two window openings behind the exterior gates.

Ten of the injured suffered burns of varying severity, and emergency crews evacuated five people with disabilities from the orphanage to safety, the civil protection agency said.

It gave no details about the victims or their ages or the possible cause of the fire.

Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune expressed his condolences in a social media post, saying he had received news "of the deaths of children and the injuries of others following a fire that broke out at a children's care facility."

Elias Gabrini, 58, a resident in the Mohammadia neighbourhood near the orphanage who witnessed the fire, told Reuters residents rushed from their homes after hearing about the fire.

"It's truly overwhelming. Seeing this with your own eyes is not easy," he said.

Algeria has been gripped by a heatwave in recent days, with civil protection units extinguishing 913 fires nationwide since Jul 8, state news agency APS reported on Wednesday, citing the General Directorate of Civil Protection.