Cairo (CNN) -- A fire erupted at the entrance to Egypt's presidential palace Friday night as protesters hurled Molotov cocktails and rocks at security forces, who responded with tear gas and water cannon.
One person was fatally shot during clashes, according to an official from Cairo's Heliopolis Hospital, and authorities were seen dragging away demonstrators.
Egyptian television aired live footage of security forces beating a naked man on the ground. The Ministry of Interior said it would investigate the incident.
The nation has been rocked by violence since last week's second anniversary of its revolution. Protesters have fumed over the slow pace of change and recent edicts by President Mohammed Morsy, who imposed a 30-day curfew on areas engulfed by violence.
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State TV reported that security forces were clearing the area in front of the palace as rioting continued.
An Egyptian protester throws a tear gas canister toward riot police during clashes outside the Egyptian presidential palace on Friday, February 1, in Cairo. Egypt has been embroiled in violence since last week, the two-year anniversary of an uprising that led to the ouster of then-President Hosni Mubarak.
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"The continued attacks suggest a real breakdown in central power, we're coming close to that," said Steven Cook, a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations. "None of the political forces have control over the people in the streets."
Amid the political and economic discontent, Morsy and opposition groups vowed to keep their supporters off the streets in an effort to avoid further bloodshed.
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Earlier this week, anti-government protesters ignored Morsy's curfew in cities along the Suez Canal and clashed with police and military troops, raising more questions about the stability of the Middle East's most populous nation.
Outgoing U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, in an interview with CNN this week, echoed concerns about what a collapse of the Egyptian state could mean for the broader region.
"I think that would lead to incredible chaos and violence on a scale that would be devastating," she said Tuesday at the State Department. "There has to be some understanding by the new government that the aspirations that the people were expressing during the revolution in Egypt have to be taken seriously."
Friday's protests are the latest in the seesaw struggle between Egypt's first democratically elected president and dissidents who say his leadership is a throwback to past dictatorships, particularly the reign of President Hosni Mubarak, who was toppled two years ago in the popular revolt.
Dozens of deaths have resulted, prompting Navi Pillay, the U.N. high commissioner for human rights, to denounce the violence and call for dialogue among all parties.
She said Morsy's state of emergency declaration should be governed by the rule of law, in line with international standards, and urged him to listen to the demands of demonstrators and take action to deal with problems in the judicial system.
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Journalist Sarah El Sirgany contributed to this report.
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A protester holds a smoke flare outside the presidential palace on February 1.
The entrance of Egypt's presidential palace in Cairo is in flames February 1, as protesters battle security forces.
A protester faces off against riot police during clashes near Cairo's Tahrir Square on Wednesday, January 30.
A police officer fires a tear gas canister during clashes with protesters near Tahrir Square on January 30.
Police in plainclothes detain a youth suspected of being a member of the Black Bloc opposition group during a demonstration on January 30 in Cairo.
A protester sprays water into the eyes of a man after his exposure to tear gas during clashes with police near Cairo's Tahrir Square on Tuesday, January 29.
The lobby of Cairo's Semiramis InterContinental Hotel is full of debris on January 29 after protesters stormed the entrance.
An Egyptian man takes part in a rally in Port Said on January 29. Protests in Port Said and nearby cities along the Suez Canal are symbolic because that region was among the first where the Mubarak regime lost control during the 2011 unrest, analysts say.
Mourners carry the coffins of six people killed in clashes after the soccer riot ruling in Port Said on Monday, January 28. Rage exploded when a judge sentenced to death 21 residents of Port Said for roles in a deadly 2012 soccer riot.
Egyptians walk past destroyed cars in Port Said on January 28 following the funeral of those killed in clashes.
A riot police officer clashes with a protester near Cairo's Tahrir Square on January 28.
A protester throws a tear gas canister toward riot police in Cairo's Tahrir Square on Sunday, January 27.
Egyptian policemen and relatives on January 27 gather upon the arrival of the coffins of their colleagues killed in the violence one day earlier in Cairo.
A protester throws a rock toward opposing demonstrators on January 27 in Cairo.
Egyptian protesters throw stones toward riot police on January 27 in Tahrir Square.
An Egyptian protester runs with a live tear gas canister toward Egyptian riot police on Saturday, January 26, in Cairo.
Egyptian fans of Al-Ahly football club celebrate outside the club's headquarters in Cairo on January 26.
Egyptian fans of Al-Ahly football club celebrate outside the club's headquarters in Cairo on January 26.
Egyptian protesters stand by the burning door of a school building on January 26, in Cairo.
An Egyptian protester carries an injured boy away from clashes with Egyptian riot police on January 26, in Cairo.
Egyptians climb over a fence at the Al-Ahly home stadium on January 26 in Cairo.
An Egyptian fan of Al-Ahly football club fires celebratory shots in the air and lights a flare as club supporters celebrate outside its headquarters in Cairo on January 26.
A protester throws a rock at riot police on January 26, in Cairo.
A fan of Al-Ahly football club lights a flare as club supporters celebrate on January 26 in Cairo.
Al-Ahly football club supporters celebrate outside the club's headquarters in Cairo on January 26.
Al-Ahly football club supporters celebrate on January 26.
Smoke billows from a burning vehicle set on fire by Egyptian protesters outside the Port Said prison on January 26.
Egyptians react after the sentencing in Port Said on January 26.
An Al-Ahly soccer fan swings a live flare above his head on January 26 in Cairo.
An Egyptian protester tries to carry an injured man away from clashes with riot police on January 26, in Cairo.
Egyptian fans of Al-Ahly football club rally outside the club's headquarters in Cairo on January 26.
An Egyptian protester runs away from a cloud of tear gas fired by Egyptian riot police on January 26, in Cairo.
Relatives of victims killed during the 2012 Port Said soccer game react after the verdict of the court, at a courthouse in Cairo, on January 26.
Relatives and friends of Egyptian protesters who were killed in Suez during clashes with riot police Friday, load a body onto an ambulance outside the morgue in Suez on January 26.
A fan of Al-Ahly football club lights a flare as club supporters celebrate outside its headquarters in Cairo on January 26.
Two protesters stand on top of a piece of furniture while riot police watch from a nearby rooftop in Cairo.
A protester throws a rock at riot police in Cairo.
An Egyptian protester walks through a cloud of tear gas fired by Egyptian riot police.
An "Ahly-Ultra" soccer fan holds a smoke flare above his head in Cairo.
A protester walks through a damaged school building.
A protester removes the net from a basketball goal in a Cairo schoolyard.
Protesters and football fans clash with riot police near Egypt's interior ministry.
Protesters and fans of Al-Masry football club take part in a demonstration in front of the prison in Port Said.
Egyptian protesters and fans of Al-Masry football club wave their club colors as they take part in a demonstration in front of the prison in the Egyptian Suez Canal city of Port Said on Friday, January 25, calling for the prisoners who are suspected of killing 74 fans of Al-Ahly club during a football match in February 2012 not to be transferred to Cairo to attend their trial. A judge sentenced 21 people to death for their roles in the riot last year.
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