Blaze engulfs historic ministry building in central Cairo

Smoke rises as Egyptian firefighters extinguish a fire that broke out in the historic neo-Islamic ministry in central Cairo, Egypt, August 5, 2023. REUTERS/Patrick Werr

CAIRO (Reuters) -A historic neo-Islamic ministry in central Cairo was engulfed in flames on Saturday, only days after its employees had moved to premises in a new capital city under construction in the desert 45km east of Cairo.

The fire appeared mainly confined to the top floor of the Ministry of Religious Endowments, or Awqaf, building, although flames were seen shooting out of a second floor window as well, according to a Reuters reporter.