Limited fires broke out at the Ministry of Finance's building in downtown Cairo on Wednesday, but no casualties were reported. The blaze caused "some damage," according to the state-run MENA, which did not provide further details. According to MENA, forensic experts are examining the scene to determine the cause of the fire. Civil defense forces and five fire engines put out the fire, which broke out on the building's sixth floor, MENA said. Observers said they are not ruling out the involvement of officials close to former Finance Minister Youssef Botrous-Ghali, with the aim of disposing of documents incriminating the former minister in corruption cases. Ghali was included in a list of 23 names on an asset freeze list sent to Egypt's stock market authorities on Tuesday. Ghali served in ministerial posts during the reign of ousted President Hosni Mubarak, from 1993 until he was removed following the 25 January revolution. Cairo has recently witnessed several fires at the Ministry of Interior's headquarters and the Tahrir Complex in downtown Cairo, as well as branches of the notorious State Security investigations apparatus.
