Twenty nurses and a female worker suffered smoke intoxication, broken bones and severe bruising when a fire broke out at a Social Affairs residence building in Makkah on Saturday. The blaze, which required eight teams of firefighters to extinguish, was reportedly the result of a gas leak caused by the building's guard refilling containers using incorrect pipes. A Social Affairs official said that the residents would be provided with accommodation at a local welfare home until appropriate housing is located. “The building lacked in certain health and safety facilities,” the official said. “Some of the residents used lengths of material to lower themselves out of the building.”
