Egypt’s Public Prosecution Launches Investigation into Al-Ahram Studio Fire

Egypt’s Public Prosecution launched an investigation into the fire that erupted at Al-Ahram studio on 16 March.

The fire broke out after the filming of a Ramadan TV show ended, and quickly spread through the Al-Ahram studio, injuring nine people and reaching surrounding buildings that had to be evacuated to prevent further damage and injury.

According to a statement by Egypt’s Public Prosecution, the fire broke out and spread to ten surrounding properties, which include 46 residential units, 19 of which were completely burnt, and the remainder were partially burnt.

The Public Prosecution questioned the studio’s staff and security personnel about the fire, and they stated that the fire started at one of the wooden studio buildings and quickly spread to the rest of its surroundings on the premises. The injured, totaling 9, are being treated at Al-Haram Hospital, and the Public Prosecution questioned them as well.

The authorities assigned experts at the General Administration for Criminal Evidence Investigations at the Ministry of Interior to inspect the scene. The team aims to gather evidence and uncover the origin and cause of the fire. Whether there are any criminal activities involved or not is still being investigated, as reported by the Egyptian Public Prosecution.

Public Prosecution announced ordering the establishment of three committees to examine the site, assess the damage, and examine whether the standard safety measures were in place and regularly maintained before the fire.

Egypt’s Prime Minister, Mostafa Madbouly, and the Minister of Culture, Nevine El-Kilany, visited the site to assess the extent of the damage, highlighting the government’s commitment to supporting the nation’s cultural heritage.

“We will bear the cost of restoring the situation to what it was before the fire. The residents are not to blame, and we must return things to their original state,” Madbouly said.

Al-Ahram Studio, founded in 1944, is one of the oldest and most prestigious film production studios in the Middle East. The studio was constructed on a space of 27,000 square meters and consists of three production stages, a screening room, and an editing suite.