JEDDAH, 13 June 2005 — Regular inspections by the civil defense department of residential units in Makkah last month found three buildings in which fire safety regulations were not being followed.

“The first site was a furnished apartment building of 15 stories used by Umrah and Haj visitors,” said Maj. Ahmad Al-Dilawi, head of the safety department at the civil defense in Makkah.

The violations consisted of improper storage, lack of fire safety measures and exits. The owner of the building was fined SR5,000.

The second violation was in an 11-floor hotel which was not properly equipped for evacuation and lacked an alarm system. The owner was fined SR10,000.

The third violation was of a storage basement in a residential building.

“Any kind of storage space in a residential building is against regulations because stored items, which are usually furniture and other flammable items, are a fire hazard. This is especially true if the storage space is on lower floors where smoke will rise and reduce visibility to residents trying to evacuate the building in case of fire; as is known, most fatalities in case of fire are caused by suffocation and not burns,” explained Maj. Al-Dilawi.

Residents are advised to store their items in special storage facilities. The owner of the apartment building had been warned several times and he was fined SR10,000.

In Makkah, fire trucks have problems in reaching fires because of the lack of street addresses as well as the city’s narrow streets. “Furthermore, there is no printed plan at building entrances to help the firefighters know where to go once inside the building; a plan is of vital importance in the event of thick smoke and limited visibility,” said Maj. Ziad Al-Zaidi.

With the constant stream of pilgrims and visitors to Makkah, many of whom are ignorant or careless about safety, there is added pressure for compliance with safety regulations.

“Throughout the year, we work at full capacity, whether it is Haj, Umrah, Ramadan or any other time. In the summer most of the local residents are away on vacation but we still have many Umrah performers. We have teams conducting inspections during the day and at night,” explained Maj. Al-Dilawi.

Schools are among the usual facilities regularly inspected for fire safety. The civil defense department completed its regular fire drills of boys’ schools before the final exams began last week. Teachers, administrators and 710 male students were trained this year on proper evacuation procedures during a fire or any other emergency.

“We gave seminars to girls’ schools via closed-circuit television but do not participate or supervise the fire drills conducted in their schools as we do with boys,” said Maj. Al-Dilawi.

Meanwhile, an investigation into a fire that broke out in a hostel housing women students of Umm Al-Qura University in Makkah is still continuing.