Dubai: Four people were killed and at least 33 others injured as a devastating fire swept through one of Cairo’s oldest telecommunications hubs on Monday, according to Egypt’s Health Ministry.
The blaze, which broke out at the Ramses Central building, the nearly century-old telecom facility in downtown Cairo, crippled phone and internet services across the capital, with many residents reporting total outages in mobile, landline, and digital banking services.
The fire, which began Monday afternoon, sent thick plumes of smoke billowing into the sky above the densely populated district. Emergency services, including civil protection units and dozens of ambulances from Cairo, Giza, and Qalyubia governorates, rushed to the scene as flames tore through large sections of the building.
By early Tuesday morning, officials said firefighting crews were still conducting cooling operations, with smoke continuing to rise from the structure. The fire had not been fully extinguished, underscoring the scale of the damage.
The Ramses Central building is a cornerstone of Egypt’s telecommunications infrastructure, and its failure caused ripple effects across multiple sectors.
Apart from the widespread interruption in communication services, residents confirmed that digital banking platforms, credit card systems, ATM machines, and online transactions had been impacted.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
