Blaze at Cairo telecommunications building kills 4, disrupts internet, phone

 

A devastating fire broke out on Monday at a key telecommunications facility in Cairo, killing four workers and injuring at least 22 others. Egypt’s Health Ministry spokesperson, Hossam Abdel Ghaffar, confirmed the casualties and stated that most injuries were due to smoke inhalation. The blaze occurred at a Telecom Egypt (ETEL.CA) data centre and caused widespread disruption to communication services across the capital.

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The fire, which was later contained, crippled internet access and halted phone services. According to NetBlocks, a global internet monitoring group, Egypt’s connectivity dropped to 62% of normal levels. Essential services were also affected   including ambulance hotlines and digital banking functions like credit card usage, ATM transactions, and online payments. Some residents reported complete service blackouts.

State TV and the official news agency MENA reported that the fire was prevented from spreading to the entire building and nearby rooftops. An early investigation suggested an electrical short circuit was likely to blame for the blaze. Telecom Egypt expressed condolences for the lives lost and pledged support for the victims’ families.

Egypt’s Minister of Communications, Amr Talaat, stated that efforts were underway to restore services gradually within 24 hours of the incident. Telecom Egypt confirmed restoration work was ongoing and assured users of incremental service recovery. Emergency measures were implemented to mitigate the disruption   including alternative ambulance contact numbers shared across different governorates.

The fire highlights the vulnerability of centralized data infrastructure, especially in densely populated areas like Cairo. Telecom Egypt’s facility plays a critical role in managing nationwide communications, and the outage exposed how a single point of failure can ripple across sectors.

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While banks had already closed for the day, the fire impacted after-hours transactions and electronic services, causing concern among citizens relying on mobile banking. This incident may prompt renewed discussions about redundancy and disaster resilience in Egypt's tech infrastructure.

Authorities continue to investigate the cause of the fire and review safety protocols at major data centers. Meanwhile, the Egyptian public is being urged to stay patient as connectivity and services gradually return to full capacity.