Civil protection forces have subdued the fire that broke out Sunday morning in Marsa Matrouh's Libya Market, said Security Director Amin Ezz Eddin.
Civil forces sent eight fire engines to fight the blaze, in addition to vehicles sent by the Armed Forces.
Eddin said that 312 shops were burned down, estimating losses at more than LE3 million.
Presidential spokesperson Yasser Ali told the state-run MENA news service that President Mohamed Morsy instructed Governor Ahmed Helmy al-Hayatmy to limit the damage, evacuate the wounded and speed up medical treatment for the injured.
At least four were injured and sent to the hospital, according to the Egyptian official news agency.
The Civil Defense Authority's initial report claimed that the fire was sparked by a short in an electric wire, while witnesses alleged that a shop owner was burning some paper waste, and those flames then spread.
This is the second fire of this scale to hit the governorate. In February, a devestating fire broke out in Siwa, devestating 50 acres of arable land.
Edited translation from MENA
