Security officials said the fire raged through the three-storey factory and its warehouse after a gas cylinder exploded.
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Egyptian police and ambulances are seen outside the al-Helw furniture factory north of the capital Cairo after the building caught on fire on July 28, 2015.
“We were starting to work this morning when we heard a huge explosion from the factory on the floor below us”, local employee Islam Yousri said, as reported by Euronews.
Civil defense units said they were able to save 150 workers in the accident.
At least 19 workers were killed on Tuesday when a massive fire tore through an eastern district of Cairo, as stated by a health ministry spokesman.
Abdel-Ghaffar said in a statement that the victims were taken to local hospitals, which declared a “state of emergency” to deal with the casualties, state media said.
Another 22 people were injured by the fire in El Obour, an industrial city about 35 kilometres (22 miles) northeast of Cairo, Hossam Abdel Ghaffar said.
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Accidents such as this are relatively common in Egypt, with numerous country’s factories falling short of the proscribed safety standards.
