A devastating fire that broke out at a foster care facility in central Algiers, the capital city of Algeria, has claimed 11 lives and left 19 others hurt, according to the country’s General Directorate for Civil Protection. As of 6:50 a.m. local time on Thursday morning – which translates to 5:50 a.m. GMT – emergency response teams and firefighters were still on site working to fully extinguish the blaze and secure the area.
In an official statement released Thursday, the civil protection department confirmed that five people with special needs were successfully evacuated from the burning structure and moved to a secure location, where they are now receiving care. At the time of this report, local authorities have not released further details about the age ranges of the deceased or injured, nor have they shared preliminary information about the possible cause of the fire.
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