MAKKAH, 18 January 2005 — A small fire broke out at a residence housing Pakistani pilgrims less than one kilometer away from the holy mosque during Maghreb prayer yesterday evening. Two hundred and fifty people were inside the building when the fire broke out, but were all successfully evacuated by the time the civil defense brigade arrived.
According to a Civil Defense lieutenant, the fire was most likely caused by a smoldering cigarette thrown down from an adjoining building.
Civil Defense personnel were quick to respond and had four fire trucks on the scene within minutes of the fire breaking out. By the time the fire was extinguished, seven fire trucks, three police units and three ambulances converged on the scene. The rooftop fire which destroyed the personal belongings of several pilgrims, was extinguished within 15 minutes, preventing it from spreading to adjacent buildings.
“This could have been a disaster if it happened while we were asleep,” one resident of the building told Arab News. “Fortunately it is only property damage, and no injuries,” he continued.
In April 1997, a large fire fueled by high winds burned through a sprawling and over-crowded tent city at Mina trapping and killing more than 340 pilgrims and injuring 1,500. Saudi Arabia has since made fire prevention a top priority.
