Aircraft spare parts worth millions of riyals went up in flames after a fire broke out at a government storage depot in the Al-Thurayya district of Jeddah Thursday. The materials, which belonged to Saudi Arabian Airlines, caught ablaze at around midday. The fire engulfed an area of about 18,000 square meters within a few minutes. Thirteen firefighting crews – two from Makkah and 11 from Jeddah – fought for about four hours to contain the fire, Brig. Abdullah Jeddawi, Director of the Civil Defense in Jeddah, told Saudi Gazette. The firefighters managed to save 35 percent of the warehouse from the blaze. Abdullah Al-Amri, spokesman for the Civil Defense in Makkah, said that there were no casualties in the incident. “The warehouse mostly contained spare parts for aircraft wings, machinery and electronics,” Al-Amri said. He added that the cause of the fire, as of early Thursday evening, remained unknown. An investigation has been launched to ascertain the cause of the fire. Saudia officials, headed by SAA Director General Khaled Al-Molhem, also rushed to the site. – With input from Mohammed Al
