A police facility in the Egyptian city of Ismailia was razed by fire in the early hours of Monday October 2, 2023, injuring at least 25 people.
According to emergency service and local media reports, it took firefighters several hours to be able to contain the blaze.
Videos circulating on social media showed the city’s security directorate engulfed in flames but the cause of the blaze was not immediately known.
Two witnesses told Reuters that firefighters initially appeared to struggle to tackle the blaze but state television said the fire was contained in about three hours.
At least 25 people were injured in a preliminary count of casualties, the Egyptian Ambulance Authority said.
Interior Minister Mahmoud Tawfik said a committee of advisers would be formed to look into the causes of the fire and review the construction safety of the building “to restore its efficiency as soon as possible,” according to his ministry.
The Ismailia incident was the latest major fire to hit Egypt. A church blaze killed at least 41 people in August 2022.