Firefighters battled 12 hours Saturday to control a major blaze at a popular Jazan mall.

Three people were taken to hospital suffering from smoke inhalation but later discharged.

The fire broke out around 6 p.m. on Friday at Kadi Mall, which is close to the Corniche and houses some of the world’s leading brand names. Firefighters were only able to douse the flames early Saturday morning.

Civil Defense teams had to demolish the walls of the mall to make way for fire engines. The northern side of the mall collapsed, where the warehouse of a leading business is located.

Fourteen Civil Defense teams, security officers and Jazan port’s Royal Navy rescue teams were involved in the operation.

Jazan Gov. Prince Mohammed Bin Nasser bin Abdul Aziz also visited the site.

Most of the shops were not affected by the fire, but many products cannot be sold because of the smoke. However, the branch of a leading supermarket chain was completely gutted resulting in a loss of an estimated SR6 million.

Eyewitnesses told Arab News over the phone that “a major tragedy was averted” because many employees were outside performing Maghrib prayer when the fire started. When they returned to work, they found smoke billowing out of the building.