Archive for fire engines

Update: Marsa Matrouh blaze under control, authorities say

by admin
October 28th, 2012

Civil protection forces have subdued the fire that broke out Sunday morning in Marsa Matrouh's Libya Market, said Security Director Amin Ezz Eddin.

Civil forces sent eight fire engines to fight the blaze, in addition to vehicles sent by the Armed Forces.

Eddin said that 312 shops were burned down, estimating losses at more than LE3 million.

Presidential spokesperson Yasser Ali told the state-run MENA news service that President Mohamed Morsy instructed Governor Ahmed Helmy al-Hayatmy to limit the damage, evacuate the wounded and speed up medical treatment for the injured.

At least four were injured and sent to the hospital, according to the Egyptian official news agency.

The Civil Defense Authority's initial report claimed that the fire was sparked by a short in an electric wire, while witnesses alleged that a shop owner was burning some paper waste, and those flames then spread.

This is the second fire of this scale to hit the governorate. In February, a devestating fire broke out in Siwa, devestating 50 acres of arable land.

Edited translation from MENA

 

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Emergency responders extinguish fire at Pepsi storage center

by admin
July 16th, 2012

Emergency responders in Gharbiya Governorate have extinguished huge fires that started Sunday at the Pepsi company storage center on the Tanta-Alexandria Agricultural Road.

The fire lasted for almost hours, and no casualties were reported.

Authorities filed a police report on the fires. Responders used more than 15 fire engines to put them out.

The fire destroyed hundreds of packages of water and bottle caps, and losses reportedly exceeded LE1 million.

Early investigations suggested that an electrical issue might have caused the fire.

Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm

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6th of October City factory fire extinguished

by admin
July 8th, 2012

Armed forces fire units in cooperation with Giza firefighters extinguished a large fire at a factory in 6th of October City in the early hours of Sunday, state news agency MENA reported.

Twelve people, rescue workers and factory workers, were hospitalized with respiratory problems. Financial losses were estimated at millions of Egyptian pounds as the blaze engulfed all the factory's contents, according to Sada al-Balad news website.

The workers said the fire was most likely caused by an electric short circuit.

According to the website, workers told 6th of October City investigators that they saw the fire start on the first floor and tried to put it out, but as it extended to other storeys they called the rescue services, who were able to extinguish the fire four hours later.

A forensics lab has been asked to determine the cause of the fire and the prosecution is investigating.

The armed forces sent four fire engines to help put out the fire, MENA said.

Edited translation from MENA
 

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Fire at Toshiba factory injures 500

by admin
April 28th, 2012

A fire at an Arab Toshiba factory in Quesna that produced refridgerators has injured about 500 workers there, witnesses said Saturday afternoon.

Most of those injured suffered respiratory problems from the smoke or broken bones due to the stampede of workers as they tried to evacuated the building. Ambulances transported the wounded to nearby Quesna hospitals.

According to witnesses, two dozen fire engines and more than 100 ambulances arrived on the scene of the fire, which began sometime around 4:30pm.

Governor of Monufiya AshrafHelal said that two Armed Forces planes had also been dispatched to combat the flames.

Ministry of Defense authorities expressed fears that the flames could spread, due to the chemical Freon that is used in the production of the company’s refridgerators.

Major GeneralSherif Bakbashi, director of security forces, was notified of the fires in the third industrial center of Monofiya by Quesna officials.

Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm

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Sharm el-Sheikh emergency responders put resort fire under control

by admin
April 13th, 2012

Emergency responders have controlled a massive fire that erupted in a resort near Sharm el-Sheikh Airport.

The smoke caused visibility problems, delaying flights from the airport, an airport source reported.

Head of South Sinai security Mahmoud Hefnawy received a report that the fire started at the Nesco Company-owned Sinai Grand Hotel. Five ambulances and three fire engines hurried to the location.

Initial inspections determined that the fire was caused by a circuit shorting in the hotel bar, away from the rooms and chalets occupied by tourists.

The mayor of Sharm el-Sheikh, General Hossam al-Sebai, said there were no casualties and that prosecution is starting investigations.

Translated from Al-Masry Al-Youm

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Gas pipeline explosion controlled in Egypt

by admin
March 5th, 2012

Firefighters in Qalyubiya, north of Cairo, succeeded in controlling a fire that broke out in the Mostorod-Alexandria gas pipeline on Monday.

State run news service MENA said the blast occurred when thieves opened the valve, thinking they would find diesel fuel to steal, which led to a fire injuring two people.

Preliminary investigations revealed that the flames rose more than 15 meters in the air, spread to a nearby citrus garden, and burnt two houses to the ground.

The agency also said that 20 fire engines fought the blaze. The pipeline is transferring raw material from Alexandria to refining laboratories near Mostorod.

“We have temporarily disconnected the line,” Hani Dahy, chairman of the General Petroleum Authority, told the Sada al-Balad news website, warning of a shortage of butane gas cylinders due to the explosion. “This line is a main supply source.”

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Siwa oasis fire extinguished, authorities say

by admin
February 29th, 2012

A fire that broke out in Siwa area farms Tuesday has been completely extinguished, Egypt’s western regional military commander said Wednesday.

State-run news agency MENA quoted Major General Medhat al-Nahhas as saying the fire was put out with the help of ground and aerial firefighting and that cooling processes are still ongoing to prevent fires from breaking out again.

The fire gutted 50 feddans of agricultural land near Mashandat and Taaouny villages, located 15 km away from Siwa oasis.

Four helicopters helped put out the fire, including a C-130 plane with fire-extinguishing equipment.

Nahhas said ground firefighting units that helped extinguish the fire included 15 fire engines. Seven belonged to the military, six to the Civil Protection Authority and two to the Khaleda petroleum company.

Authorities provided shelter for those affected by the fire, Nahhas said.

The general said the main operations room at the governorate building did not receive any reports of casualties, and hospitals did not receive any patients injured in the fire.

Presidential hopeful Amr Moussa highlighted the necessity of immediately investigating the reasons for the fire. Through his Twitter account, he urged Egyptians to help the village residents.

Authorities have not yet officially stated what caused the fire.

But state-run newspaper Al-Ahram’s website quoted some Siwa residents as saying smugglers working on the Egyptian-Libyan border started it.

Two days earlier, residents had demanded more security on roads smugglers use, and smugglers sought revenge when authorities met the demand, Al-Ahram said.

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Army sends planes carrying equipment to extinguish Siwa fire, nearby villages evacuated

by admin
February 28th, 2012

Major General Medhat al-Nahas, commander of the western military region in Egypt, on Tuesday told state television that the armed forces sent a C-130 plane and a number of helicopters carrying equipment to help extinguish the huge fire that broke out in Siwa and devoured 50 acres of arable land.

The fire broke out on Tuesday in an olive grove in the Mashandat area, 15 kilometers west of the Siwa Oasis.

State-run newspaper Al-Ahram's website said that the security services of the Matrouh governorate evacuated the villages of Taaouny and Mashandat that are close to the fire. Three armed forces fire engines and four from the Civil Protection Authority began to extinguish the fire Tuesday afternoon.

Nile TV said the authorities from the nearby Alexandria governorate also sent fire engines to help.

Marsa Matrouh Governor Mohamed Taha said no casualties were reported so far. “But we put the Siwa general hospital and the military hospital on high alert,” he said.

The Siwa Oasis is located in the Western Desert, 300 kilometers off the coast of the Mediterranean to the south-west of Marsa Matrouh.

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