Huge fire hits oil pipeline near Cairo

Cairo: A huge fire Tuesday erupted due to a fracture in an oil pipeline near Cairo, injuring at least six people, security sources said.

The fire was triggered by a spark after the fracture in the pipeline running through the Cairo-Ismailia desert highway resulting in a spill, they added.

Dozens of fire trucks rushed to the scene of the blaze and later put it out, the sources said.

Six people were injured in the fire and transferred to a nearby hospital, a spokesman for the Health Ministry.

Traffic authorities closed the roads leading to the highway after several cars were damaged by the fire.

Local media showed images and footage of the blaze that engulfed road-side cars against a background of spiralling columns of smoke.