Saudi: Fire Hits Hospital in Riyadh
A large fire erupted at a private hospital in the Saudi capital Riyadh for the second time this year, Saudi media reported.
The blaze broke out on Thursday in a building under construction at the medical facility in Riyadh’s Al Yasamin quarter.
Videos circulating on social media showed plumes of thick smoke rising from the building.
Firefighting crews rushed to the place and managed to put out the fire.
The Saudi civil defence said Thursday night its personnel in Riyadh had extinguished a blaze at an under-construction building and the cooling process was underway.
No casualties were reported. The cause of the fire is not clear yet.
The same hospital experienced another fire in June, according to media reports.
In May, authorities in the Saudi port city of Jeddah closed down a famous market, citing violations of safety standards, after Al Sawarikh Souq had seen two fires in less than two weeks.
Authorities have not said how long the closure continues.
On May 12, civil defence put out a fire at the market, saying the blaze did not result in casualties. The cause of the fire, which gutted an unspecified number of shops, was not given. On May 21, another fire broke out at the market.
Set up in 1980, the souq, comprising 12,000 shops, was temporarily shut down as a precautionary measure during the COVID-19 epidemic.
Sawarikh is believed to be the largest popular market in Saudi Arabia. It stretches in south of Jeddah on around 1 million square metres, employing more than 20,000 workers.
The souq is a Jeddah landmark. It has earned its name for being situated in proximity of a missiles (Sawarikh in Arabic) base.
Also known as Harraj, the market used to attract customers hunting for bargains among its wide range of merchandise.
