11 killed, including children, in devastating fire at Algeria foster home

At least 11 people, including children, have died after a devastating fire tore through a foster care facility in Algeria’s capital, Algiers, prompting renewed calls for an investigation into the tragedy.

The blaze broke out during the early hours of Thursday at a children’s home in Mohammadia, an eastern suburb of Algiers.

Algeria’s Civil Protection Department said firefighters were alerted at around 3:30am local time and were still battling the flames more than three hours later.

Nineteen other people were injured in the fire and taken for treatment, while five residents with special needs were safely evacuated and moved to another secure location.

Authorities have not yet disclosed the cause of the blaze or released details about the ages of those who died or were injured.

However, President Abdelmadjid Tebboune confirmed that children were among the victims, describing the incident as a “tragic loss” and offering his condolences to the affected families.

Residents living near the facility described hearing screams as emergency crews rushed to the scene.

“At around 03:00, we heard the fire engines arriving and the children screaming,” local resident Abdessalam Merrah told AFP. “We helped as much as we could, but unfortunately we were told that 11 people had already died.”

Emergency services mounted a large-scale response, deploying 10 fire engines and 16 ambulances to the children’s home.

Prime Minister Sifi Ghrieb later visited two hospitals in Algiers where survivors were receiving treatment, according to state media.

The tragedy comes as Algeria battles an intense heatwave and a surge in fires across the country.

According to the Civil Protection Department, 115 wildfires were recorded in the past 24 hours alone, while nearly 1,000 fires have been reported nationwide over the past week.

Although officials have not linked the foster home fire to the extreme weather conditions, the disaster has intensified scrutiny over safety measures at public institutions.

Opposition politicians and members of the public have demanded answers, with the opposition Jil Jadid party calling for a transparent investigation and legal action if negligence or safety failures are found to have contributed to the deadly blaze.

Authorities have yet to announce the findings of any official investigation.