In 2021, a massive fire that took over 11 days to put off erupted in a 13-storey building near the Ring Road in Giza.

The building, commonly known as the Faisal building, consisted of 108 apartments, 15 of which were inhabited.

The prosecution said that the fire had erupted in a shoe warehouse that belongs to the landlord and that is located in the building’s basement.

The prosecution accused the owner of violating construction laws by constructing the 13-storey building without obtaining a licence to do so, and by illegally establishing his property on a piece of agricultural land that lies outside the urban zone delineated by the governorate.

The owner also did not obtain a license to establish a warehouse in the building, nor did he implement any safety measures as required by the law, according to the prosecution.

In the aftermath of the fire, the building was demolished following an evacuation and demolition order that was issued by the prosecution to ensure the safety of the neighbouring buildings and of the Ring Road.

Egyptian authorities have recently launched a crackdown against building violations.

For decades, many people in Egypt have constructed multi-storey buildings on agricultural lands without obtaining the necessary permits or complying with engineering safety standards. 

As a result, Egypt lost a lot of its agricultural land.