CAIRO: An Egyptian pastor in the city of Fayoum, about an hour south of Cairo, has praised Muslims in the area for coming to the aid of his church after a fire threatened to destroy it after the timber store adjacent to the church was set ablaze. According to local witnesses in the area, General Salah al-Azizy was told of the fire at the timber and furniture warehouse, but instead of standing by as had been common during the previous regime, he ordered the civil defense forces to extinguish the blaze before it damaged the church. Local citizens also joined in the battle to save the religious house of worship in a sign of unity, said local resident Ahmed Ghoneim. He told Bikyamasr.com via telephone that “we are all from the same area and together we are becoming more united in our community in the post-revolution Egypt.” According to local estimates, had the fire not been put out, the damages to the church would have been extensive. Losses have been estimated to have reached 100,000 Egyptian pounds, or nearly $17,000. The cause of the fire appears to be an electrical fire sparked by a faulty circuit. BM
