Egyptian singer Ehab Tawfik’s father was killed after a fire broke out at their villa in Nasr City, Cairo on Thursday.
Eight fire engines rushed to the scene to control the blaze to prevent it spreading to the neighbouring houses.
Preliminary investigations indicated that a short circuit in the fireplace in his father’s room was the cause of the fire.
According to Egyptian media sources, Tawfik’s father died from smoke inhalation. Rescue teams managed to save the rest of Tawfik’s family.
Video on social media showed the extent of the damage to the house. Most of the villa was covered in ash.
"I saw smoke billowing out from the first floor, where my father resided and [I] ran, trying to save him," Tawfik told Arabic news portal Masrawy. "But flames and thick smoke prevented me from reach him."
Tawfik said that the fire broke out due to a short circuit in a fireplace in his father’s room.
A Facebook post was published on Tawfik’s official page yesterday afternoon, announcing the death of the singer’s father. Funeral prayers were held after the Maghreb prayers at the Salaam Mosque on the same day.
