Arab West Report Egyptian press summaries and media research for dialogue

[Editor: It is good that

Waṭanī reported this and obtained its information from the church itself. In the past such fires have

resulted in rumors and anti-Christian conspiracies. By explaing publicly what happened such rumors can be squashed

in an early stage.]

A fire erupted on the roof of the Mār Girgis Church in Sīdī

Bishr in Alexandria last Sunday in the early morning. The fire swallowed everything on the church’s roof and

threatened the surrounding areas.

Waṭanī investigated the matter, and Father Ishaq

Ibrāhīm, the priest of the church, explained that there had not been enough space in the church for

the supplementary supportive school classes and catechizm. Thus, they built extra wooden classrooms on the roof.

[Reviewer: Supportive school classes are for students who cannot afford private lessons and have difficulties in

school. The church offers them free or almost free supportive classes.]

He explained that there had been an

electrical defect on Saturday, and they called an electrician who did not seem to be qualified for the task. He

could not fix the problem and left the wires bare and exposed in the wooden classrooms on the roof. The bare wires

most likely made contact which resulted in the spark that ignited the fire.

When the priests left the church

at 11:30 after prayer, nobody noticed anything wrong. At about one o’clock in the morning, inhabitants of the

neighborhood noticed the fire and called the firefighters.

Upon the extinction of the fire, security forces

examined the place and ordered that a fire hydrant be installed next to the church’s wall to serve the entire

surrounding neighborhood in case another fire ever erupted.

[Reviewer: similar news was reported in al-

Dustūr of January 17, 2007]