Eleven people, including children, were killed and 19 others were injured after a fire swept through a state-run child welfare facility in the Mohammadia district east of Algiers early on Thursday, according to Algerian authorities.
The blaze broke out at approximately 3:30 a.m. local time inside the Childhood Relief Institution, a residential care center that provides shelter, medical care and social support to orphans, abandoned minors and children with special needs.
Emergency responders carried out rescue operations as heavy smoke filled parts of the building before bringing the fire under control.
Authorities have not disclosed the ages of the victims or the cause of the fire.
The Algerian Civil Protection agency said 10 of the injured suffered burns of varying severity, while two people were treated for severe respiratory distress caused by smoke inhalation.
Seven others received treatment for severe psychological shock.
Emergency teams also evacuated five residents with special needs to a safe location during the operation.
Images released by the Civil Protection agency showed firefighters working inside smoke-filled corridors as they evacuated residents and battled the blaze.
Residents from the surrounding neighborhood gathered outside the facility as emergency crews responded.
A local resident who witnessed the incident told Reuters: "It's truly overwhelming. Seeing this with your own eyes is not easy."
President Abdelmadjid Tebboune expressed condolences following the fire, saying he had received news "of the deaths of children and the injuries of others following a fire that broke out at a children's care facility".
Prime Minister Sifi Ghrieb visited Mustapha Pacha University Hospital to check on the condition of the injured and oversee their medical treatment, according to local media.
Firefighting and search operations have concluded, while security and judicial authorities have launched an investigation into the cause of the fire.
The tragedy occurred as Algeria has faced a recent heatwave, with civil protection units reporting hundreds of fires across the country in recent days, although authorities have not linked those incidents to the orphanage fire.