38 people have reportedly been injured in a huge fire at an Ismailia police complex, according to Egypt’s health ministry.
Twenty-four patients have received hospital treatment for smoke inhalation, and two more have received burn treatment.
An investigation into the fire and a “structural safety review” of the building have both been mandated by the interior minister.
There have been no reports of any casualties, or if any detainees were there when the fire began.
The Directorate of Security’s headquarters received two military aircraft and fifty ambulances. Twelve of the injured were treated on-site rather than being taken to a hospital.
With one Egyptian journalist reporting that there may be fatalities due to the size of the fire, there are concerns that the number of injured people may be higher.
According to two witnesses who spoke to the Reuters news agency, firefighters initially struggled to put out the fire, but local media reports that after more than three hours they were able to do so.
Due to lax enforcement of fire codes and slow emergency response times, deadly fires are not unheard of in Egypt. A short circuit in a church in Cairo resulted in a fire that killed 41 people in August of last year.
Source-BBC
