A man, engulfed in flames, ran in Aziziyah Street in Makkah until bystanders came to his rescue and put out the fire on his clothes on Sunday.
The man is of Saudi nationality and has been living for years in a small straw hut at a mobile phone market not far from where he was found on fire. He is said to be mentally unstable.
The man caught fire that afternoon while he was asleep in his hut. He woke up and ran into the street. Passers-by and motorists brought fire extinguishers and water to help put out the fire, after which a Red Crescent ambulance transferred him to Noor Specialist Hospital. Most of his body had been burned.
Spokesman of the administration of Civil Defense in Makkah, Salah Alaliyani, said that the man had be subjected to an electric shock that led to the fire, as he had mishandled an electric cable near his usual resting place.
His case was handed over to competent authorities.
In a related incident, Civil Defense forces in Makkah rescued six people from a fire in their home in Al-Nakhl Street, and transported them to Noor Specialist Hospital. They are undergoing treatment. The incident is under investigation.
Man engulfed in flames sent to hospital
