An ink factory in the Fayoum governorate was reduced to ashes after catching fire on Sunday, despite the efforts of some 200 firemen who engaged in a nine-hour struggle against the blaze. Fire brigades did, however, manage to prevent the fire from spreading to adjacent factories and warehouses. The conflagration is suspected to have been caused by an electrical short circuit, which led to massive explosions that severely damaged the factory's walls. Preliminary assessments put material losses caused by the fire at some LE2.5 million. The accident came only a few hours after another fire broke out on Saturday morning on the premises of the Alexandria Petroleum Company, which led to a state of panic among residents of the nearby Wadi al-Qamar neighborhood. Local residents have reportedly filed roughly 30 complaints with the police against the company for losses and damages sustained as a result of the blaze. Material losses caused by Saturday's fire have been estimated at some LE30 million at the least. Seven workers, meanwhile, were slightly injured and taken to the nearby Alexandria University hospital. Translated from the Arabic Edition.
