“An investigation team will start its work today to determine the causes of fire,” he said dismissing reports of any possibility of foul play. However, some press reports pointed an accusation finger at a businessman whom they did not name.
According to informed sources, the fire had destroyed more than 2,500 out of 10,000 documents in the municipality archives.
The spokesman of Jeddah municipality Dr. Abdul Aziz Al-Nihari said work was continuing to remove the effects of the fire and added that the municipality would start business as usual from today. “Repair works are going on round the clock to ensure that the municipality would resume work on time,” he said.
Asked about the results of the preliminary investigations, Al-Nihari said nothing has been announced by the Civil Defense. He, however, expected a statement sometime next week after the completion of investigations.
Chairman of the municipality Abdullah Al-Ajami declined to rule out a possible criminal motive behind the fire but said there was no proof for that so far.
