JEDDAH, 28 December 2002 — Al-Saqqaf Palace, a historic landmark located in the Al-Faisaliyah District of Makkah, suffered major damage in a huge fire that erupted shortly after Friday prayers.
Just meters away from the Makkah Police Station and around the corner from a fire station, the blaze was immediately noticed and a large contingent of fire fighters was quickly dispatched. Despite the quick response by the Civil Defense team, it took over three hours to contain the rapidly spreading blaze which destroyed the structure’s interior.
A Civil Defense official told Arab News: “The fire which erupted at 12:30 this afternoon caused millions of riyals worth of damage to the structure. The entire top floor was gutted and the ground floor also suffered damage.
It took 42 fire fighters and seven trucks until 4:00 pm to extinguish the flames.
There were no resulting injuries and the cause of the blaze is still under investigation.”
Local residents and historians told Arab News: “The Saqqaf Palace was the property of the former Saudi Arabian Foreign Minister Omar Saqqaf and his family. When the older Saqqafs passed away, the palace was endowed to the Governorate of Makkah. Prince Majed, former Governor of Makkah, bought the palace and renovated it three years ago.”
