About 1,200 Umrah pilgrims were evacuated Thursday from a 17-story hotel in the Central Area surrounding the Grand Mosque in Makkah due to a fire on the fifth floor. According to Makkah Civil Defense spokesman and Director of Investigations Lt. Col. Ali Al-Muntashiri, all the 1,200 Umrah pilgrims mostly from Arab countries were evacuated in 20 minutes without any major casualties. Only three minor injuries were reported, Al-Riyadh Arabic daily said. Lt. Col. Al-Muntashiri said 17 Civil Defense teams participated in efforts to extinguish the fire. __
