police have interviewed the operators of a carpet factories in hay hassini , casablanca , morocco which broke down in a disaster that threatened 55 lives . his son , who was the factory ' s manager , was also arrested . those injured ― 35 of whom were women ― were trapped below by the flame entrances , but were barricaded to stop theft during working hours . " the people who died were apparently suffocation or burned , " commented a firefighter . 17 were killed . moustapha taouil of the egyptian state insurance service said the blast was triggered by an inadequatly maintained magnetic saw on the first floor . the initial fire quickly engulfed all four storeys of the house .
Casablanca is a Moroccan city.