Firemen eveauated 1,500 Iranian pilgrims from their 14-floor residential block early Wednesday morning when an electrical fault led to a fire in the Al-Misfala district of Makkah. No serious injuries were recorded in the fire, which was reportedly caused by a short circuit, although two elderly women were taken to hospital for smoke inhalation. The holy cities are currently hosting high numbers of Umrah pilgrims in the period leading up to Ramadan, heightening safety concerns in the light of several fires at residential premises over the last year, notably in Makkah.
