ALGIERS, July 17 (Xinhua) -- An electrical spark from an air conditioning unit triggered a fire at a childcare facility in El Mohammadia, east of Algiers, killing 11 people and injuring several others, Algeria's General Directorate of National Security (DGSN) said Friday.
Among the dead of the fire, which broke out on Thursday morning, was a 52-year-old female educator, the DGSN said in a statement.
The fire originated in a first-floor room of the facility after the air conditioning unit had been operating continuously during extreme heat, it said.
Also on Friday, Algeria's Civil Protection Department said 147 vegetation fires were recorded across the country over the past 24 hours amid a heat wave and dry conditions, 108 of which have been completely extinguished.
No fatalities have been reported, though precautionary evacuations have been carried out in several provinces, the department said, adding that in Bouira province, located in the north-central Algeria, 19 people were hospitalized, including four with minor burns and 13 suffering from breathing difficulties. ■