Egypt rules out arson, terrorism in building fire

Cairo: The fire that gutted an Egyptian parliamentary building has been ruled out as arson or terrorism, the Egypt's Interior Minister said on Wednesday.

The fire at the 19th-century building which housed the upper chamber of parliament continued to rage on Wednesday, more than 16 hours after it first broke out on Tuesday evening.

Interior Minister Habib Al-Adli told state news agency Mena: "The security agencies are ruling out the possibility that any terrorist act or deliberate act was behind the incident."

Police said initially they suspected it began with an electrical short circuit.

Fire fighters continued efforts to put out the fire. Many were injured in the process, and Adli said one policeman possibly died.

Military helicopters were transferring water from the River Nile to aid in the operations.