Firefighters rescued two young girls who were trapped inside their apartment after a fire broke out in a five-story building in the Samer District in eastern Jeddah on Wednesday evening.

“Two girls, who were trapped inside their room on the fourth floor, were crying loudly as they inhaled smoke and carbon dioxide,” said Col. Saeed Sarhan, Makkah Civil Defense spokesman, in a statement issued on Thursday.

“Their loud cries made rescue teams frantic to reach them,” he said. “Teams deployed a ladder to get to the girls in good time.”

One team member was treated for smoke inhalation by Saudi Red Crescent medical teams at the site due to the presence of a thick layer of smoke inside the room.

“Civil Defense forces handed the girls over to their father outside the building. One of the children, who also suffered smoke inhalation, has been admitted to hospital for treatment,” he said.

Preliminary investigation revealed that a short circuit occurred when a television was switched on inside the building, said Sarhan.

The statement does not, however, mention where the father was at the time the fire broke out.