A devastating fire at a major Telecom Egypt data center in downtown Cairo claimed the lives of four employees and injured at least 27 others, while plunging much of the country into a digital blackout. The blaze, which broke out on Monday, July 7, disrupted nationwide internet connectivity and mobile services, impacting critical infrastructure such as emergency hotlines, digital banking, and air travel.
According to the Egyptian Health Ministry, most injuries were caused by smoke inhalation. Some victims were treated on-site, while others were taken to hospitals. Telecom Egypt confirmed that the four deceased were employees trapped in the building when the fire erupted.
Internet monitoring group NetBlocks reported that Egypt’s national connectivity dropped to 62 percent of normal levels during the outage, and later fell as low as 44 percent. The disruption affected phone calls, mobile payments, credit card systems, ATMs, and even delayed flights. The Egyptian Stock Exchange also suspended trading on Tuesday, citing technical issues tied to the communications failure.
The fire started on the seventh floor of the Ramses Central building, a crucial node in Egypt’s telecom infrastructure. A preliminary investigation pointed to an electrical short circuit as the likely cause. Firefighters battled the flames for hours, managing to prevent the blaze from spreading to the rest of the structure or adjacent rooftops.
Although authorities confirmed on Tuesday that the fire had been extinguished, emergency crews remained on site to ensure the building’s safety. An Associated Press photographer noted that the upper levels of the structure were visibly charred, with smoke still rising and water being sprayed on the building more than 24 hours after the fire began.
Digital Banking Services Disrupted
Egypt’s Ministry of Communications and Information Technology announced that telecom services would be gradually restored within 24 hours. The Egyptian Minister Amr Talaat said services had been rerouted to alternate switching centers to maintain continuity. Emergency hotlines and other public services in most regions have reportedly come back online.
Telecom Egypt expressed condolences to the victims’ families and pledged support and compensation. In a statement, the company acknowledged the extent of the damage and confirmed ongoing work to restore full service.
The fire’s impact went beyond simple outages. Several citizens and a banking source reported failures in digital banking services, including transactions and ATM access. Some financial institutions had already closed operations for the day, further compounding the disruption. The health ministry responded by releasing additional emergency numbers for those unable to reach ambulance services via the standard hotline.
The incident underscores the increasing reliance on centralized digital infrastructure and the importance of robust, disaster-resilient data center design – especially as demand for AI data centers and always-on services accelerates. While Egypt continues its efforts to digitize public and private sector operations, the fire highlights the fragility of that transformation when infrastructure fails.
