ALKHOBAR, 15 June 2003 — A massive fire broke out Friday night and raged into the early hours of yesterday morning at a maintenance complex belonging to one of the leading Eastern Province business groups.
The damage to goods is estimated at hundreds of thousands of riyals, according to Civil Defense officials, who said that five fire fighters sustained smoke-related injuries when fighting the blaze.
The fire started in a corner of the maintenance complex belonging to the Saad Industrial Group at approximately 10 p.m., according to an eyewitness who spoke to Arab News. By the time Civil Defense officials arrived on the scene it had spread to a large portion of the complex .
The maintenance complex is located in the Golden Belt area, which houses several residential compounds. Just meters from where the fire broke out is the Oasis Residential Compound — one of the most prestigious in the region — which also belongs to the Saad Group.
The cause of the fire is still unknown. Abdullah Al-Ghursa of the Alkhobar Civil Defense told Arab News that his team arrived at the scene minutes after the fire was reported. “We managed to contain it within minutes,” he added.
However, the inexperience of fire-fighters was evident throughout the operation, and the fire was not extinguished until 3.45 a.m.
Ma’an Al-Sanie, chairman of the Saad Group of companies, was not available for a comment.
The entire Golden Belt area is fortified with heavy security arrangements since many residential compounds are situated in the vicinity. The fire raised alarm bells among the authorities and the Civil Defense is urging all residents of the area to check their fire-fighting and fire-alarm systems so that any major accident could be averted.
