The blaze ripped through the multistory police headquarters in the Suez Canal province of Ismailia, according to Hossam Abdel-Ghaffar, a spokesperson for the Health Ministry

He said 12 of the injured were treated at the site, while 26 others were taken to hospitals, all but two suffering from breathing difficulties. Seven of the injured were treated and discharged, he said

It was not immediately clear how many police were in the building at the time of the blaze, which severely damaged the building according to local media

Videos circulated on social media showed flames and black smoke pouring from the building

The cause of the blaze was not immediately known. The state-run MENA news agency said firefighters managed to put out the fire