A fire tore through two adjacent stores in Makkah, forcing the evacuation of 1,550 students in nearby schools, 40 families, and 30 commercial offices Sunday. None was seriously injured. The fire started around 9:00 A.M. in a stationery store, but it wasn't yet determined what caused the fire, said spokesman of Makkah Civil Defense Col. Ali Al-Muntasheri. Two workers at the store suffered mild burns and two firefighters were choked by the dense cloud of smoke. They were taken to hospital for treatment. Other six firefighters and two people were treated at the scene. The fire caused blackout across the neighborhood hitting more than 200 homes for over 10 minutes. – Okaz __
