Egypt firefighters battle blaze to save historic Shiite al-Hussein Mosque of Cairo

AhlulBayt News Agency (ABNA): Firefighters in Cairo, capital of Egypt battled a large overnight blaze in residential buildings in the city's historic quarter on Monday before they could control the fire before it spread to important cultural sites.

Flames filled the night sky over Old Cairo near the historic Mosque of Al Hussein, close to the tourist area of Khan El Khalili.

At least one apartment was destroyed and footage on state media showed emergency workers rescuing residents from the burning building.

    حريق كبير بمحيط مسجد الحسين وقوات الحماية المدنية تحاول السيطرة عليه ، وبحسب مديرية أوقاف القاهرة الحريق في عمارات الأوقاف بحي الحسين و بعيد عن مسجد الحسين ، pic.twitter.com/nDUiXPBrCH
    — mohamed el kholy (@MElKholy) January 30, 2022

Fire crews were called out to a building of the Religious Endowments Ministry.

It was still unclear what sparked the fire, but witnesses said it was caused by a gas cylinder explosion. There was no information on casualties.

Liquefied petroleum gas, supplied in cylinders, is the main fuel for cooking and heating in many Egyptian households.

The building is in the vicinity of the famous bazaar known as Khan El Khalili.

Khaled Salaheldin, a senior official at the Religious Endowments authority in Cairo, told the government-run Al Ahram newspaper that the fire was limited to one building.

"The historical area and Al Hussein mosque are completely intact," he said.

"The brave firefighters have painstakingly worked to extinguish the fire and rescue trapped residents.”

Al Hussein Mosque and mausoleum dates back to 1154. Cairo Shiite Muslims believe that the head of Al Hussain ibn Ali, a grandson of the Prophet Mohammad (PBHT), is buried there.




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