Egypt's Interior Ministry burns while police protest!

CAIRO, Egypt - March 22, 2011 - Fire swept the upper floors of Egypt's Interior Ministry building on Tuesday while policemen protested outside to demand higher pay. A security official accused demonstrators of starting the blaze in downtown Cairo.

TV footage showed flames climbing the top floors of the building and a huge plume of black smoke filling the sky. Later, firefighters on tall ladders sprayed water to extinguish the fire.

One protester denied they had lit the fire and accused those inside of setting if off by burning security files to get rid of evidence of police abuse.

Many Egyptians still associate the Interior Ministry's security forces with the worst excesses of the regime of ousted President Hosni Mubarak. Earlier this month, protesters rallied outside State Security offices across the nation, storming some of them in search of evidence of human rights violations.

However, Tuesday's protest outside the ministry was held by policemen themselves. They want a minimum salary of $200 a month - much more than many receive now - and other benefits, including improved health care. The mass demonstrations that toppled Mubarak on February 11 have set off frequent protests by laborers, including police officers, seeking to improve their lot.

The security official said protesters lit the fire in the building housing the ministry's personnel department. It then spread to an adjacent communications building.