MADINAH, 18 July 2005 — A fire in Madinah on Saturday night led to the tragic death of three young girls who were burned and suffocated to death while trying to escape from the burning apartment. The fire broke somewhere in the main body of the apartment, on the top floor of an eight-story apartment block. The three girls were aged three, four and five.
According to Col. Mansour Al-Johani of the Fire Department, neighbors managed to save a six-month-old girl and the family maid. The parents of the children had locked the four daughters and maid inside the apartment before going out.
A neighbor who saved the infant and the maid said that he heard their screams and went upstairs to save them but found that the door was locked. He broke into the apartment by smashing down the door and managed to save the infant and the maid.
He tried to make his way through the flames to save the three daughters who had escaped to the balcony but was trapped there because the balcony was blocked with a metal grille.
The three daughters screamed and shouted for help before the smoke and fire silenced them. An official from the Fire Department told Arab News that they are still investigating the cause of the fire and they have not ruled out the possibility that the fire might be intentional.
Police are investigating the fire in search of criminal evidence.
