Algeria is experiencing an intense summer heat wave and firefighters are also battling several forest fires in the north of the country.

The news of the orphanage fire has shocked and outraged many.

“May God have mercy on them,” the civil defense unit said., external as the death toll was announced Thursday, several hours after the fire started.

President Tebboune said in a statement: “With a heart resigned to the will of God I learned of the deaths of children and the injuries suffered.”

Authorities said five children with reduced mobility had been rescued safely from the fire.

The fire has led opposition figures, critical media and social media users to demand answers for possible negligence.

The opposition Jil Jadid party called for a transparent investigation into the incident and legal liability for any negligence or security failure.

It also demanded a nationwide review of fire safety standards in orphanages, nursing homes, hospitals and schools.

Journalist Akram Kharief called the fire a “national tragedy,” calling for fire safety audits in all public institutions and questioning why Algerians cannot live “a normal life in a normal country.”

Comments on the social media pages of various media outlets wanted to know who had been supervising the children overnight, while some called for them to resign.

Meanwhile, Le Matin d’Algérie, a website critical of the government, noted the absence of the mayor and the provincial governor during the initial rescue operation.

The pro-government Algerie Patriotique news site said the country should establish the truth “without complacency” and determine whether the deaths could have been prevented.

Additional reporting by Natasha Booty