MADINAH — When an apartment was subjected to a series of small fires — each of which could have erupted into a destructive blaze had it not been for the fire department responding effectively — the homeowner concluded that the only thing that could have possibly started so many blazes was a jinn, the Arabian version of a poltergeist, according to yesterday’s Okaz newspaper.
After eight fires struck his apartment, the homeowner hired some local religious men to come in and read passages from the Holy Qur’an to expunge the evil spirits from the abode.
After inspecting the place and praying a bit, the men advised the homeowner to move to another apartment in the building.
However, after he moved, it seemed that the apparition moved right along with him; his new apartment caught fire three times and the third time the fire was large enough to do considerable damage to the flat.
This time, instead of religious cousel, fire inspectors came to the scene and discovered the remnants of a box of matches.
It turned out that the man’s son was a pyromaniac who resented what he called his father’s greed.
To get back at him, the kid was lighting little fires in the house.
The father dropped charges against his son.
