A small fire erupted in a gas pipeline on Tuesday during a random shootout.

“A security police car that was on duty in Awamiyah, Qatif, came under heavy fire from unknown suspects, injuring a policeman in his right thigh,” Eastern Province police spokesman Ziad Al-Ruqaiti told Arab News

“The policeman was transferred to a nearby hospital and is in stable condition.”

Al-Ruqaiti said: “One of the shots hit a nearby oil pipeline, setting it on fire. Authorities, however, managed to immediately contain the flames.

“Specialist officers from the Eastern Province police station have sealed off the area and have sent a criminal investigation team to the site.”

A resident in Qatif told Reuters that the incident took place close to a checkpoint at the entrance to the village, but that it had caused no damage to homes or other property.

“It wasn’t very loud, but residents in Awamiyah and the neighboring village of Safwa heard it,” he said.