Fire in Maadi

There was a fire just down the street from us. A pharmacy went up in flames. It was right next door to "On Safari" the store where we get the girls uniforms for school. We were dog-sitting and I was out walking the black lab, Maggie. A boab (doorman, security guard, resident napper, etc.) informed me that there was a fire. Of course he was leaving his post to go investigate. Him and about a hundred other people arrived to gawk and stare and wring their hands. I have no idea how it started, but the fire engines arrived in a speedy manner (so everyone else said). I came and stood around a bit, then everyone noticed the big black dog and ran away like I was on fire, too! FYI, most Egyptians are scared to death of dogs. Not only is it a huge insult to call someone a dog, they don't want to be withing 10 feet of one. That is, a domestic dog. I don't see their reasoning; there are plenty of feral dogs roaming the streets, sleeping under and on top of the cars they wash, wandering in bands of 5-8, but to be near one on a leash, that's when their fear of getting rabies kicks in. But hey, there is no reasoning in Egypt, that's what makes it special!! Ok, off that tangent, back to the title of the post, the fire. It was at the end of road 80, we live on Road 79. Not that that makes it any easier to imagine or locate in your mind. Ok, I am done for today!!