U.S. Copts Association

Egypt assessing damage to 19th century building after emergency services spent nine hours to put out fire.
CAIRO - Egypt was set Wednesday to launch a probe after an all-night effort to put out a blaze that tore through the Senate building in the heart of Cairo and left 13 people requiring medical help.

Authorities were assessing the damage to the 19th century building after emergency services took over nine hours to put out the fire which broke out around 1430 GMT on Tuesday, a police official told state television.

An investigation is expected to be launched into the cause of the fire which still remains unclear, a security official said.

While the hemisphere of the Majlis al-Shura or Senate itself was spared, the fire spread quickly from the second to the third floor of the building, causing severe damage to a parliamentary archive before being brought under control.

Despite the huge flames and the dramatic dark cloud that hung over the centre of the Egyptian capital, there were only light human casualties.

“Four emergency service staff were taken to a nearby hospital after suffering smoke-related injuries, and nine people who were in the building also suffered from smoke inhalation,” health ministry spokesman Abdel Rahman Shahin told state television.

Both houses of parliament were on summer recess, which meant few people would have been in the building at the time of the fire.

The Shura Council is made up of 264 members, of whom 176 are directly elected and 88 appointed by the president. Half of the council’s members are renewed every three years.