A massive fire in Cairo destroyed one of the most distinguished and oldest film production houses in the Middle East.
The fire destroyed everything inside al-Ahram Studio in Giza district, founded 80 years ago, and spread to three nearby buildings, which were evacuated before the flames reached them.
Residents of neighboring buildings were asleep in nearby streets at dawn on Saturday, according to an AFP journalist.
The cause of the fire is still unknown, and it took more than six hours to extinguish the blaze, security sources said.
There were no deaths due to the fire, but some people were treated for smoke inhalation.
Fires are a common danger in Egypt, where fire codes are rarely enforced.
Al-Ahram Studio was founded in 1944, constructed on 27,000 square meters (290,625 square feet), and held three production stages, a screening room, and an editing suite.
Egypt was the third-largest film producer in the world in the 1950s and still accounts for three-quarters of the Arab world’s cinematic production, despite suffering the worst economic crisis in its history.
Countless films and television series were produced in al-Ahram.
