A massive fire broke out early Friday inside one of the buildings adjacent to the central laboratories affiliated with the Ministry of Health and Population on Sheikh Rehan Street in Cairo, spreading to other buildings.

Flames quickly rose, prompting immediate intervention by the Civil Defense forces. According to sources on Friday, security officials rushed to the scene, deploying more than five fire trucks and several ambulances to the location.

In an initial report, the Ministry of Health and Population announced one injury due to breathing difficulties caused by the heavy smoke. It clarified that the fire erupted in wooden kiosks not affiliated with the ministry, located behind the administrative building of the Medical Licensing Department in downtown Cairo.

The fire also spread to the administrative office of medical licensing and an attached administrative room near the central laboratories. However, Civil Defense teams managed to extinguish the blaze before it reached the central laboratories, or the specialized medical equipment housed there.

Dr. Hossam Abdel Ghaffar, the official spokesperson for the Ministry of Health and Population, confirmed that Dr. Khaled Abdel Ghaffar, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Health, is closely and continuously monitoring the developments of the fire. Ten ambulances have been sent to the site as part of the ongoing response.

It is noteworthy that the urgent and direct intervention by all rescue teams was necessary due to the flames spreading through the elevator shaft from the first floor to the top.

The fire also affected part of the adjacent medical licensing building and extended backward to a single-story metro administration building.