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Fire Kills 11 at Orphanage Near Algiers

DNA testing is under way to identify charred victims as officials probe whether the country’s heat wave and a surge of recent blazes contributed to the blaze

Overview

  • The blaze struck a children’s home in a suburb of Algiers, leaving eleven people dead and more than 20 injured with varying burn wounds.
  • Firefighters carried out evacuations and rescue work while hospitals in Algiers and a specialized burn clinic in Zeralda treated the wounded.
  • Forensic teams at Mustapha‑Bacha Hospital say some bodies were burned beyond recognition and that DNA identification will take several days.
  • President Abdelmadjid Tebboune and Prime Minister Sifi Ghrieb have expressed condolences and visited patients in hospital as investigations continue.
  • Officials note Algeria has been under a prolonged heat wave with hundreds of recent fires, a pattern that may shape the inquiry and raise questions about fire safety in institutions.