JEDDAH, 12 October 2006 — The authorities yesterday launched an investigation into the deaths of nine people from one family, mostly women, in a major fire that broke out inside a residential apartment in Ghulail, south Jeddah, earlier in the day. Nine others living in the same building were injured in the blaze.
The fire started in the two-story building and spread very fast due to the wooden furniture. Seven teams from the Civil Defense Department rushed to the site. Firefighters were able to control the blaze within two hours and saved the rest of the people from the building.
A department officer was injured while trying to put out the fire. Arab News learned from the department sources that a committee comprising representatives from the civil defense and criminal departments will investigate the incident to establish whether it was a criminal act or an accident.
