CAIRO — A major fire erupted at the headquarters of Telecom Egypt in downtown Cairo on Monday, injuring at least 14 people and causing widespread disruptions to internet and mobile phone services across the country.

According to the Health Ministry, the injured were transported to nearby hospitals for treatment. Among them were two emergency responders who suffered burns to their hands, local broadcaster Cairo 24 reported.

The blaze broke out on the seventh floor of the landmark 10-story building located in the Ramses district of the capital.

The Cairo governor’s office confirmed the location and scale of the incident, as thick black smoke billowed into the sky, prompting a large-scale emergency response.

Firefighting units swiftly arrived at the scene, deploying water cannons and ladders to contain the flames, while security forces cordoned off the area to ensure public safety.

In a statement, the National Telecommunications Regulatory Authority said the fire had originated in an equipment room, leading to a temporary disruption of both internet and mobile networks operated by Telecom Egypt.

Online payment services were also briefly affected. Authorities said that telecom services were being restored and expected full recovery within hours.

Global internet monitoring group NetBlocks reported that national connectivity dropped to 62% of typical levels at the height of the outage, citing real-time data linked to the fire at the Telecom Egypt data center.

Monday’s incident occurred just a few kilometers from the site of a 2019 train station explosion that killed at least 25 people and injured dozens more — a stark reminder of the challenges facing Egypt’s urban infrastructure and emergency preparedness. — Agencies