Five Dead, Twelve Hospitalized After Factory Fire Engulfs Industrial Building in Cairo Suburbs, Traps Workers Inside

Cairo, Egypt— A fire tore through a factory in the suburbs of Cairo Thursday, killing five workers and leaving 12 others suffering from smoke inhalation as flames trapped people inside a building with blocked exits.

The blaze broke out around 10:30 a.m. local time in an industrial zone in Obour City, north of Cairo, according to Al Ahram and civil defense officials. The factory, which produced plastic packaging and stored chemical solvents, caught fire in a storage area. Flames spread rapidly through stacks of raw material, filling the building with thick, black smoke.

Five workers were found dead near a locked rear exit, officials said, apparently overcome by smoke while trying to escape. Twelve others were taken to hospitals in Obour and Qalyubia with smoke inhalation and burns, three in critical condition. More than 100 workers were inside at the time. Many escaped through windows and a front door that was partially blocked by finished goods.

"The smoke was so thick we could not see the exit signs," a survivor told local television from a hospital bed. "We shouted, but the machines were loud. The back door was locked, they always lock it to prevent theft."

Firefighters brought the blaze under control after three hours, using 20 fire trucks. The roof partially collapsed, complicating search efforts. Civil defense said the factory had been operating without an updated fire safety certificate and that extinguishers were expired. Emergency exits were obstructed.

Industrial fires are a recurring toll in Egypt's sprawling factory zones, where safety inspections are infrequent and enforcement is lax. In Obour, many factories operate in converted warehouses with limited ventilation and chemical storage next to production lines. Workers often lack training in evacuation procedures.

The Ministry of Manpower said it would investigate labor conditions at the plant and whether the owner had violated safety codes. The public prosecutor ordered the owner detained for questioning and sealed the site. The factory's insurance status was unclear.

Families gathered outside the morgue in the afternoon, waiting to identify bodies that were badly burned. The labor union said it had warned about conditions at the factory last year after a smaller fire, but no action was taken.

By evening, smoke was still rising from the gutted building, its walls blackened and windows blown out. Fire crews remained on site to prevent reignition.

The front gate was locked, with a handwritten sign saying the factory was closed.