Cairo parliament gutted by fire as helicopters ferry water from the River Nile to douse blaze

Flames could be seen bursting through windows while smoke billowed above Cairo’s skyline after the 19th Century upper chamber palace began to burn.

More than a dozen fire engines battled evening rush hour traffic gridlock to reach the blaze – but only three sprayed their hoses due to an apparent water shortage.

Blaze: A helicopter above drops Nile water on to the 19th Century palace

The cause of the fire was yesterday unknown, but a terror attack was ruled out by officials.

It is thought an electrical fault sparked the inferno, which left 16 people in hospital suffering from smoke inhalation and other minor injuries.

As the fire raged until midnight flames soared upward from the top floor of the three-story building and much of the interior appeared gutted.

While firefighters focused on one corner of the building, the blaze burned unabated on the other side, spreading to the second floor with periodic explosions and showers of sparks.

Inferno: Huge flames burst out the roof and windows of Cairo's upper chamber

Parliament's archive room, library and several large meeting chambers were all destroyed.

Firefighters doused surrounding buildings with water to prevent them from igniting, but flames continued to rage past midnight.

Two helicopters ferried buckets of water from the Nile and poured them onto the blaze, without any immediate effect.

Thick black smoke billowed over downtown Cairo and riot police created a cordon outside the parliament complex, located on a busy downtown thoroughfare.

Tourists and locals stopped to snap photographs with cell phone cameras.

Billowing: Smoke can be seen across Cairo's skyline during rush hour

The extent of damage was not immediately known.

Parliament is currently in summer recess.

Egypt's upper house of parliament, or Shura Council, is a largely symbolic body that can only advise on legislation.

A third of its members are appointed by the president.

Egypt requires some fire-safety measures in buildings, including fire extinguishers, but in general the rules are not strictly enforced.

The country's deadliest blaze was in February 2002, when flames swept through a crowded passenger train south of Cairo, killing 370 people.

Choking: Smoke covers an Egyptian flag on top of the dome of the parliament