Major fire destroys prestigious Arab film studio in Egypt

CAIRO

A major fire in Cairo, Egypt destroyed one of the Arab world's most prestigious and oldest film production houses, founded 80 years ago.

Flames overtook the Al-Ahram Studio in Cairo's Giza district on March 16, burning everything inside and spreading to three surrounding buildings which were evacuated before the blaze reached them.

Residents of the neighbouring buildings were still sleeping on the ground in nearby streets at dawn on Saturday, an AFP journalist reported.

Deadly fires are a common hazard in Egypt, where fire codes are rarely enforced and emergency services are often slow to arrive.

In this case, security sources said there were no deaths, though some people suffering smoke inhalation were treated at the scene.

Local media reported that the fire broke out 24 hours after filming finished for a Ramadan television series, however, the cause of the fire is still unknown. The Muslim holy fasting month of Ramadan, which began on March 11, accounts for peak viewership in Egypt and the rest of the Arab world.

Yusif Mohammed, a neighbour who witnessed the fire, told AFP that flames "reached the surrounding buildings before fire trucks arrived".

Al-Ahram Studio was founded in 1944 and built on 27,000 square metres containing three production stages, a screening room and an editing suite.

Countless Egyptian films and television series were produced there.

In the 1950s Egypt was the third-biggest film producer in the world, and currently accounts for three-quarters of the Arab world's cinematic production.