JEDDAH: The government has banned the use of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) for cooking at the holy sites during the Haj this year.

Vice Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Mohammed bin Naif, interior minister and president of the Supreme Haj Committee, issued the decision, a local publication has reported.

All government agencies have been ordered to implement the instruction in Mina, Arafat and Muzdalifah, according to Suleiman bin Abdullah Al-Amro, director general of the Civil Defense. He said the ban over the years has reduced fires at the holy sites.

Al-Amro said there are clear mechanisms in place to implement the regulations and penalize violators. He said all security agencies would prevent people from bringing the gas into the holy sites.

Civil defense teams would conduct thorough inspections inside the camps to ensure they are free of gas cylinders and gas stoves.