'Fire' destroys Al-Jazeera's equipment and videotapes in Cairo

A fire broke out early on Tuesday morning in the Al-Jazeera Channel warehouse in Cairo, destroying its videotapes and equipment, a security official from the Interior Ministry said.

The official told Al-Ahram Gate: “Cairo rescue unit received a call during the early hours of Tuesday morning indicating that a fire had broken out in a flat on the third floor beside the Ramsis Hilton Hotel on Jalaa Street. The fire trucks moved immediately and managed to extinguish the fire. Apparently, the apartment is used by Qatar’s Al-Jazeera network to store equipment and tools for its work in Egypt. The apartment-warehouse is made up of two rooms containing a large number of tapes and equipment, which the fire completely damaged.”

Al-Jazeera Live’s studio in Egypt was attacked with Molotov cocktails during the events of the 25 January Revolution in 2011, setting the studio on fire and destroying its entire contents.

Meanwhile, Cairo’s Administrative Court decided to postpone a lawsuit filed by Adv. Hossam Shaarawi, the legal representative of the Al-Jazeera network, against the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the General Authority for Investment and the Ministers of Investment and Media demanding that they annul a decision by the Commission to halt the channel’s license, and pay financial compensation for violating the law during the 7 December hearing.