2021 Obour clothing factory fire

On 11 March 2021, a fire occurred at a clothing factory in Obour, a city in Egypt near Cairo. It killed at least 20 people and injured another 24. Fifteen fire trucks were dispatched to extinguish the fire.

The cause of the fire was likely a chemical explosion involving flammable materials stored in the basement of the building. Enforcement of safety standards and fire regulations in Egypt is notoriously lax, and fires are not uncommon in factories and hospitals. 2021 set a record for fires in factories worldwide, with nearly 2,000 confirmed factory fires around the world during the year.