Six people died from smoke inhalation and two were injured when a fire broke out at the Mental Health Hospital in Bureidah shortly before 6 A.M., Thursday. The Saudi Press Agency reported that fire services had evacuated the premises and extinguished the blaze, which started while patients and staff were asleep. A Civil Defense spokesman said that the causes of the fire were as yet unknown. Health Affairs in the Qassim region said that the victims of the fire were three patients and three members of the nursing staff. According to the Health Affairs statement, the fire started in the hospital's Patient Ward 1 from which eight other persons were evacuated. They were returned to other wards after the fire had been extinguished, while 88 patients evacuated from other sections of the facility also returned to their wards once the site had been declared safe. Investigations into the causes of the fire began immediately, the statement said. Extra staff were brought in to help cope with situation, along with specialist to attend to bereaved families.
