A huge fire completely gutted a store selling cloth on Makrona Street in Jeddah on Wednesday. Plumes of black smoke engulfed the surrounding area after the fire started at noon at a busy intersection. All the staff members of the store were evacuated to safety as soon as the fire was noticed. There were no casualties, Civil Defense officials said at the scene. Everything inside the store and a car parked next to the store were completely destroyed There was a huge traffic jam at the scene as it was time for several schools in the neighborhood to close. Tahlia and Makrona Streets were almost impassable due to the large number of Civil Defense vehicles. “The store is insured and the owner is rushing in from Yemen,” said an employee. “It has probably been caused by a short circuit,” he added.
