Fire devastates historic studio in ‘Hollywood on the Nile’
By Kareem El Damanhoury, Eyad Kourdi and Heather Chen, CNN
(CNN) — A major fire ravaged the 80-year-old iconic Al-Ahram Studio in Cairo, causing extensive damage and spreading to adjacent buildings on Saturday morning, according to the Egyptian state news website Al-Ahram.
The fire, which took firefighters over five hours to extinguish and prompted an evacuation of nearby residential buildings, erupted just hours after the completion of filming for a Ramadan television series, Al-Ahram added.
“The studio was destroyed, including decorations, wood, places designated for photography, and corridors,” the report said.
Videos circulating on Egyptian media sites showed the studio site and the buildings around it fully affected by the fire.
No fatalities have been reported and several injured were transported to hospitals for treatment, according to state media.
Egypt has long dominated the Arab film industry and has been dubbed the “Hollywood on the Nile,” producing international stars like late actor Omar Sharif and late acclaimed director Youssef Chahine.
Founded in 1944, Al-Ahram Studio has been a cornerstone of its film and television industry – housing three production stages, a screening room, and an editing suite across its 27,000 square meter campus.
The studio had been instrumental in producing countless Egyptian films and television series, marking it as a significant cultural asset.
Egypt’s Public Prosecutor has launched an investigation into the cause of the fire at one of the Arab world’s oldest film production houses, state media outlets report.
Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly and Minister of Culture Nevine El-Kilany visited the site to survey the losses and the impact on the surrounding area.
Madbouly announced that each family affected by the fire in nearby buildings would receive 15,000 Egyptian pounds (about $300) to help rent apartments until their own are repaired, the State Information Service said on Saturday.
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