At least 11 dead, including children, in orphanage fire near Algiers amid heatwave

The fire

A fire broke out at the Foundation for Assisted Childhood, an orphanage in the Mohammadia suburb of Algiers, in the early hours of Thursday 16 July 2026. Rescue services were alerted around 3:30 am local time, according to officials. Civil protection teams arrived to find the building engulfed, and operations to extinguish the blaze were still underway hours later. Black smoke marks were visible on white walls around windows, as reported by Ouest France. The facility housed children and also accommodated people with disabilities.

Civil protection services are continuing operations to extinguish the fire that broke out at the Foundation for Assisted Childhood, located in the municipality of Mohammadia.

The cause of the fire has not been disclosed by authorities. The orphanage, known as the Établissement de l'enfance assistée, sits on the outskirts of the capital.

Casualties and rescue

At least 11 people died and 19 others were injured, according to a provisional toll released by civil protection. Among the dead were several children, though authorities have not specified the ages of the victims. Ten of the injured suffered burns of varying severity, and rescue teams evacuated five people with disabilities from the building, the civil protection agency said.

The injured were taken to hospitals in the capital. Prime Minister Sifi Ghrieb visited the wounded at the Zeralda burns hospital and later at Mustapha Bacha hospital in Algiers, national television reported.

Heatwave and wildfire context

Algeria has been in the grip of an intense heatwave in recent days. The civil protection directorate reported that its units had controlled 913 fires across the country since 8 July. On 15 July alone, more than 130 fire starts were recorded, according to authorities cited by France 24. The state news agency APS said civil protection units had been fighting over 900 fires nationwide since 8 July. The dry conditions and high temperatures have created a high risk of wildfires, though no direct link to the orphanage blaze has been confirmed.

Reactions

Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune expressed his condolences in a social media message, saying he had learned of "the death of children and the injuries of others following a fire that broke out in a children's care centre."

I learned of the death of children and the injuries of others following a fire that broke out in a children's care centre.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni also offered sympathy. "On behalf of myself and the Italian government, I express my deepest condolences for the victims of the tragic fire that struck an orphanage on the outskirts of Algiers," she wrote on X. "Our closeness goes out to the families of the victims, to the injured, and to all those who are experiencing hours of anguish." She added that Italy stands in solidarity with the Algerian people and President Tebboune.