Egypt Daily News – Civil defense teams successfully brought a renewed fire under control Monday at the Ramses Central telecommunications building in downtown Cairo, following a second outbreak of flames at the same site. Firefighters have since begun cooling operations to prevent the blaze from reigniting once again.
Emergency services received an alert from local residents reporting heavy smoke and flames rising from the building. Fire engines were quickly dispatched to the scene, where they found the fire had erupted once more inside the structure.
Fire crews worked to extinguish the flames and are now monitoring the area, tracking smoke and hotspots to ensure the fire does not flare up again.
No injuries have been reported so far, and investigations are underway to determine the cause of the fire and the reason for its recurrence.
A fire broke out again at Ramses Central a short while ago, and flames have reappeared as Civil Defense personnel continue their efforts to control and contain the blaze. Earlier, a major fire that broke out late Monday evening at the Ramses Central Office in downtown Cairo has disrupted telecommunications and internet services across large parts of Egypt.
The incident, which occurred in one of the equipment rooms of the facility operated by Telecom Egypt, led to a temporary suspension of services and raised concerns over the vulnerability of key digital infrastructure.
According to a statement from the National Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (NTRA), firefighting units and technical teams from Telecom Egypt were dispatched immediately to the site to contain the fire and isolate electrical currents throughout the facility to prevent further damage.
The NTRA confirmed that efforts are underway to restore services gradually over the coming hours. Authorities are currently identifying the full scope of affected services and customers. The regulatory body also emphasized that it will ensure full service recovery and provide compensation for customers impacted by the outage.
The Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, led by Minister Dr. Amr Talaat, is closely monitoring the situation. Coordination is ongoing with relevant agencies to manage the fallout and minimize disruption.
Civil protection forces deployed five fire trucks to the scene after plumes of smoke were seen rising from the central building. A security perimeter was established around the premises to facilitate firefighting operations, which continued for several hours due to the presence of flammable materials such as cables and server equipment.
In a televised statement, broadcaster Tamer Amin highlighted the central role of the Ramses Central Office, noting that the facility houses servers for several major banks and ATM systems. He added that disruptions were noticeable from around 6 p.m., including in mobile services. However, no casualties have been reported, and emergency responders continue working to fully secure the area.
Amin also pointed out the historical significance of the building, which has been operational for 98 years and remains a cornerstone of Egypt’s telecommunications infrastructure.
The outage affected fixed-line telephone and internet services in several districts across Cairo and Giza, prompting concerns among residents and businesses alike. As restoration work continues, authorities are urging the public to remain patient while technical teams work to fully restore services.
