Saudi Gazette report MAKKAH — Three members of the Civil Defense and Public Security were injured and around 500 people were evacuated following a fire at Makkah Hilton Hotel on Saturday. Col. Saeed Sarhan, spokesman of the Civil Defense, said that the Civil Defense units rushed to the scene and extinguished the fire in a short span of time. “An investigation is under way to determine the cause of the fire that started on the second floor of the hotel building,” he said. According to Sarhan, the Civil Defense forces rushed to the scene and evacuated about 500 people including pilgrims, workers, and customers of shops from the floor soon after receiving information about the fire. The automatic sprinkling system was able to put out the blaze that began in a suction pipe. Smoke filled a part of the second floor where restaurants and commercial shops are located. The fire never posed any danger to residential towers. This is the second case of fire in Makkah in four days. On Wednesday, four workers were charred to death and three others were injured in a fire that broke out in a 3500-square-meter upholstery and sofa sets workshop in Sharayea Al-Mujahideen in Makkah. Ten palm trees were burned and five cars that were parked near the workshop were also gutted, Saudi Press Agency quoted the spokesman of the Civil Defense in Makkah region Col. Said Sarhan as saying. Red Crescent ambulances rushed the injured to hospital. The Civil Defense rescue teams were combing the area for rescue operation till late in the night. Five days ago, a forklift in the Masaa (the area between the hillocks of Safaa and Marwa where pilgrims travel seven times) caught fire as a result of a short-circuit. Three workers of the company involved in the expansion project at the Grand Mosque suffered light injuries which did not necessitate any medical intervention.
