A massive fire destroyed several workshops in southern Jeddah’s Kilo 8 district on Wednesday.

A stretch of workshops spanning 5,000 square meters were gutted in the fire, which broke out late Tuesday night and continued into Wednesday morning, according to Civil Defense officials.

Col. Saeed Sarhan, Makkah Civil Defense spokesman, said fire-fighting teams, which had been immediately dispatched to the scene, were able to douse the flames before the fire could spread.

“Finding the precise location was a challenge since the area is surrounded by several workshops, warehouses and wooden stores, in addition to damaged vehicles and scrap material,” he said.

The area has been handed over to the Jeddah Municipality, which closed down 35 workshops and removed 255 unused vehicles and 6,500 tons of scrap from the area just a couple of days ago.