Flames overtook the Al-Ahram Studio in Cairo’s Giza district, burning everything inside and spreading to three surrounding buildings which were evacuated before the blaze reached them.

Residents of the neighboring buildings were still sleeping on the ground in nearby streets at dawn on Saturday.

Deadly fires are a common hazard in Egypt, where fire codes are rarely enforced, and emergency services are often slow to arrive.

In this case, security sources said there were no deaths, though some people suffering smoke inhalation were treated at the scene.

It was reported that the fire broke out 24 hours after filming finished for a Ramadan television series, however, the cause of the fire is still unknown. The Muslim holy fasting month of Ramadan, which began on March 11, accounts for peak viewership in Egypt and the rest of the Arab world.

Yusif Mohammed, a neighbor who witnessed the fire, told sources that flames “reached the surrounding buildings before fire trucks arrived”.

Al-Ahram Studio was founded in 1944 and built on 27,000 square meters containing three production stages, a screening room and an editing suite.