Algiers child welfare home fire kills 11
Emergency services said the early-morning blaze in Mohammadia also injured 19 people and prompted an investigation into its cause.
By Daniel Okafor · Business Editor
2 min read
A fire at a state child welfare facility east of Algiers killed 11 people, including children, and injured 19 others, according to Algeria’s emergency services and local media. The deaths at the residential care center in Mohammadia drew a public response from President Abdelmadjid Tebboune and prompted an official investigation.
Algeria’s Civil Protection agency said the fire began at about 3:30 a.m. local time Thursday at the Childhood Relief Institution. The facility is a state-run home that provides residential care, shelter, medical services and social support for orphans, abandoned minors and children with special needs, according to reports cited by Al Jazeera and Reuters.
Civil Protection said emergency crews treated 10 people for burns of different degrees and two others for serious breathing problems caused by smoke inhalation. Seven people were treated for severe psychological shock, the agency said.
Rescue teams also moved five residents with special needs to a safe area, according to Civil Protection. Images released by the agency showed responders working through heavy smoke in the building’s corridors as they tried to control the fire and evacuate people from the site.
Video circulated online by bystanders showed residents gathered near the facility as rescue operations unfolded, according to Al Jazeera and Reuters. The footage showed people watching emergency crews at the scene, though authorities did not immediately provide further detail on the circumstances inside the building when the fire began.
Officials visit injured as investigation opens
Tebboune expressed condolences in a social media post after the fire, saying he had received news of children’s deaths and injuries to others. His statement did not give additional details about the victims.
Prime Minister Sifi Ghrieb went to Mustapha Pacha University Hospital in Algiers to check on injured people and review their medical treatment, Algerian newspaper Algerie Patriotique reported. Authorities did not immediately release the names or ages of those killed.
Local media reported that firefighting and search operations had ended. Security and judicial authorities have opened an investigation to determine what caused the blaze, according to those reports.
Mohammadia is located in the eastern part of the Algerian capital. The fire hit a facility serving some of the country’s most vulnerable children, including minors without parental care and children requiring special support, according to the description of the institution carried by Al Jazeera and Reuters.
This story draws on original reporting from Al Jazeera.