A fire broke out at a consignment facility in Algiers, the capital of Algeria, killing 11 people.
The Civil Defense Ministry said 19 people were injured in the fire, and firefighters began extinguishing the fire at 3:30 a.m. (local time) on Thursday.
When authorities released an update on the situation, they were still trying to put out the fire just three hours later.
The Civil Defense Ministry did not specify the cause of the fire or the ages of the dead or injured.
Ten fire trucks and 16 ambulances were deployed to the facility in Mohammadia, an eastern suburb of Algiers.
Algeria has been experiencing a heat wave for several days and nearly 1,000 fires have broken out in a week, AFP reported.
On Thursday morning, the Civil Defense Department said it had recorded 115 forest fires in the past 24 hours.
Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune expressed condolences over the fire at the children’s home, calling it a “tragic loss.”
Prime Minister Sippy Grieve visited two hospitals in Algiers on Thursday to visit people injured in the fire, state media reported.
The report also included a photo of Grieve next to a child lying in a hospital bed.
Authorities said five people with special needs were “treated and transported to safety” in the fire.
