MANAMA, 7 June 2004 — A fire early yesterday morning destroyed a large section of the Heritage Village in Malkiya, a preferred set for television programs by the Ministry of Information.
The fire broke out around 2.45 a.m. and fanned by strong winds soon engulfed a large section of the wooden structure.
Firefighters with four fire engines battled the blaze for an hour before bringing it under control.
Sources said as much as 80 percent of the set could have been damaged. The center of the set was untouched while flames raged around the periphery, indicating arson.
Ministry of Information officials would not comment yesterday but Hassan Abdul Kareem from Bahrain Radio and Television Cooperation said that he estimated only 25 percent was damaged.
The set was opened in the mid 1990s for Ramadan programs. Since then other GCC countries also used it to film local programs.
