A significant fire incident erupted in Shubra Mels, Gharbia Governorate, Egypt, on Friday, May 10, 2025, prompting local authorities to declare a state of emergency. The blaze, which rapidly spread across a vast area, was initially reported around midday and continued to burn for several hours before being brought under control by civil defense teams.
Witnesses described the scene as chaotic, with flames engulfing a large portion of flax crops in a local storage facility. The local civil defense forces responded promptly, dispatching 25 fire engines to the site to combat the fire and prevent it from spreading further. The response was crucial, as the fire threatened to extend into nearby residential areas.
After more than four hours of relentless firefighting efforts, the flames were finally contained. However, the damage was extensive, with initial estimates of material losses reaching millions of Egyptian pounds. Tragically, the incident also resulted in six cases of suffocation, with those affected receiving medical treatment at nearby hospitals.
Shubra Mels is known as one of Egypt's prominent flax-producing villages, making the fire's impact particularly significant for the local agricultural community. The incident drew considerable attention on social media, where many users expressed concern and curiosity about the cause of the fire. As of now, officials have not released any preliminary findings regarding the cause, but investigations are ongoing.
In a separate incident on the same day, over 160,000 residents near Barcelona, Spain, were ordered to stay indoors due to a toxic chlorine cloud released from a fire at an industrial warehouse. The fire broke out early Saturday morning in Vilanova i la Geltrú, a coastal town south of Barcelona, where cleaning materials were stored.
Local authorities issued warnings for residents to keep their doors and windows closed, emphasizing the danger posed by the toxic gas. The affected area spanned five local counties along the coast, stretching from Vilanova i la Geltrú to Calafell, near Tarragona. The regional firefighting department reported that no injuries had been recorded at that time, and they deployed numerous units to control the fire.
Jorge Vinyals, the owner of the warehouse, commented on the situation, stating, "It is very difficult for chlorine to ignite, but when it does, it is incredibly challenging to extinguish." He suggested that a lithium battery might have sparked the fire, although this has yet to be confirmed by authorities.
Juan Luis Ruiz López, the mayor of Vilanova, expressed optimism that once the fire was extinguished, the toxic cloud would dissipate, allowing the emergency measures to be lifted. Meanwhile, authorities closed roads and train stations in the vicinity to keep people away from the hazardous area.
The simultaneous occurrences of these two significant fire incidents highlight the ongoing challenges faced by emergency services in both Egypt and Spain. As investigations continue into the causes of these fires, local communities remain on high alert, demonstrating resilience in the face of such environmental hazards.
