Female students of Umm Al-Qura University were evacuated after a fire broke out in the university's computer laboratory Saturday. Seven students were slightly injured and taken to King Abdul Aziz Hospital for treatment. They were discharged soon after. Makkah Civil Defense took samples from the fire scene to investigate into the causes and circumstances of the fire. The Civil Defense sent its teams right after receiving an emergency call. According to eye witnesses, there was extensive smoke, which caused panic among the students. They rushed to evacuate. Rescue teams inside the university organized the evacuation of the students and calmed them down. Civil Defense teams managed to control the fire. Col. Ali Al-Muntashri, spokesman of Makkah Civil Defense, said 50 female trainees, who were trained by Civil Defense during a joint program with the university, coordinated with the Civil Defense teams and helped in the evacuation process. He said that preliminary investigations indicate that “it was an accident.” Dr. Bakri Assas, President of Umm Al-Qura University, said the fire started because of an electric overload and that its cause will be investigated. “All necessary safety procedures have been taken to ensure that other buildings are safe.” Students told Okaz/Saudi Gazette that the building where the fire started is 50 years old. It's one of the oldest buildings. It has not been developed and it does not have any safety equipment or alarm systems, they said. Soad Khuzami, a university student, said the fire started in Room no. 104 on the first floor. She said she saw tens of students leaving the room in a state of panic because of the sparks of fire that were coming out of an air-conditioner. She phoned her sister who was downstairs and asked to send the female security officers upstairs. “The female officers evacuated the students calmly and in a matter of minutes Civil Defense teams arrived and controlled the fire,” she said. __
