Two major fires broke out on the evening of Monday, July 7, 2025, at Cairo’s historic Ramses Central building—one of Egypt’s most important telecom hubs. Thick smoke blanketed the Ramses district as emergency crews rushed to the scene. The fires left four dead and 27 injured, with significant disruptions rippling across key sectors. Here’s how the blaze impacted daily life across Egypt:
Internet Services Partially Down
Connectivity across Egypt dropped to 62% of normal levels, according to NetBlocks, one of the world’s leading organizations specializing in measuring internet performance.
Areas including Ramses, Shubra, Dokki, and downtown Cairo saw outages in both landline and home internet services.
Flights Delayed, But Operations Restored
Some flights experienced brief departure delays due to network disruptions. However, the Ministry of Civil Aviation quickly rerouted operations and confirmed all terminals at Cairo Airport resumed normal activity shortly after.
The 4 Mobile Networks Affected
Users of Egypt’s four mobile networks (WE, Vodafone, Orange, and e&) reported trouble making calls across different networks.
Digital Banking and E-Payments Disrupted
Services like Instapay were hit hard, halting money transfers. ATMs, POS terminals, and online banking platforms for banks also faced outages.
Egyptian Stock Exchange Temporarily Suspended
On Tuesday morning, the Egyptian Exchange paused trading after its website and price displays went offline. Officials emphasized the measure was temporary and that internal systems remained unaffected.
Emergency Health Hotlines Went Down
The fire disrupted key Ministry of Health hotlines, including ambulance number 123. The ministry shared alternative mobile numbers and advised citizens to call 122 in emergencies.
Government Confirms Gradual Service Recovery
Minister of Communications Dr. Amr Talaat confirmed that services were rerouted through other exchanges. He stated that Egypt does not depend solely on Ramses Central and promised full restoration within 24 hours.
While the fires at Ramses Central caused widespread disruptions, emergency plans across sectors were activated quickly. Most services are on track for full restoration.
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