Police said the fire at a children's orphanage in Algiers was caused by a spark from a faulty air‑conditioning unit.
The accident occurred in the early hours of Thursday, when the unit had been running continuously amid an intense heatwave. Authorities confirmed that 11 people died and 19 others were injured, among whom were several children.
The emergency response team battled the blaze for at least three hours, but the thick smoke and flames proved difficult to contain. A caretaker at the orphanage was among those killed.
President Abdelmadjid Tebboune said that children were among the victims, while Prime Minister Abdelaziz Sifi visited the surviving patients in hospital, many of whom suffer from burns and smoke inhalation.
Opposition groups and media outlets have demanded a transparent investigation, citing possible negligence in safety standards. The Jil Jadid party has called for an audit of fire safety across all care homes, hospitals and schools.
The incident has intensified calls for better regulation of equipment in public institutions, particularly as Algeria faces an extreme summer heatwave that has already triggered wildfires in the north.
