The blaze was reported in the early evening, just as residents of Cairo were breaking the daytime Ramadan fast, the BBC reported.

The theater was closed when the fire began. The only injuries were to firefighters who suffered from smoke inhalation.

Mena, the Egyptian government news agency, quoted a fire official who said the cause was an electrical fault. A similar blaze last month in the houses of parliament has also been blamed on a short circuit.

The 73-year-old theater had recently undergone renovations.