Cairo civil protection director among four killed in firefighting operation

CAIRO – 1 July 2026: Four people, including Cairo's civil protection director and two other civil protection personnel, were killed while responding to a fire in Cairo's Manshiyet Nasser district, authorities said on Wednesday.

Major General Mohamed El-Sherbiny, director of the General Administration of Civil Protection at Cairo security department, succumbed to injuries sustained while leading firefighters responding to the blaze.

Preliminary investigations indicate that the fire started in a timber workshop on the ground floor before rapidly spreading through the four-story building, leading to its collapse.

The other victims were police Captain Abdel Rahman El-Adawy of the civil protection administration, police sergeant Hamad Sabra, and Ahmed Mohamed Mahmoud, an employee of the Ministry of Electricity.

They lost their lives while performing their firefighting duties, according to the Cairo governorate.

Around 15 people were also injured in the incident and were taken to hospital for treatment, according to media reports.

Civil defense teams deployed dozens of fire engines and ambulances before bringing the blaze under control.

Authorities have provided temporary housing for seven families displaced by the incident, while investigations into the cause of the fire are ongoing.

Final Sacrifice

In a statement, Cairo Governor Ibrahim Saber paid tribute to the Cairo civil protection director, saying the senior officer "chose to remain alongside his men to protect citizens."

The governor described El-Sherbiny as a dedicated leader whose commitment to duty set an example of devotion and public service.

He also mourned the other victims, saying they “wrote a new chapter of sacrifice.”

According to eyewitnesses, Captain El-Adawy continued evacuating residents from the building despite flames engulfing it before becoming trapped in the fire and losing his life in the line of duty.

Police sergeant Sabra was also killed while taking part in the rescue operation after insisting on helping residents escape the burning building.