No fewer than 38 people have been injured in a huge fire that broke out at a police headquarters in the Egyptian city of Ismailia on Monday, before it was put out, according to the health ministry.
No fatalities were immediately reported but the building was fully staffed with policemen when the fire broke out before dawn.
By the time the first rescue services arrived, the blaze had engulfed the entire building of the Ismailia Security Directorate.
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Flames raged through the multi-storey building that was completely obscured by a massive cloud of smoke before the blaze was brought under control.
By dawn, all that remained of the headquarters was a charred shell as emergency services carried out cooling procedures to prevent another fire from breaking out.
On social media, users shared footage of the fire which showed individuals trapped inside, calling for help from the windows.
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The cause of the blaze is not yet known and security forces have sealed off the area, where AFP correspondents saw rescuers attempting to evacuate those trapped inside, assisted by a crane.
Authorities have not made statements on how many policemen and detainees were inside the building overnight.
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