Dean evacuates 2,000 students to safety 29 cases of minor injuries treated Okaz/Saudi Gazette ABHA — Prince Faisal Bin Khaled, Emir of Asir region, has ordered investigation into the fire that broke out at the College of Education for Girls here on Tuesday. Two thousand female students were evacuated from the college after a fire broke out on its premises. The fire sparked panic amongst staff and students, with many fainting and 29 suffering from shock. It is believed to have started in a two-square-meter-area stationary warehouse on the third floor of the school. The Emir thanked Allah that the fire did not cause anything except minor injuries, the Saudi Press Agency reported Wednesday. Asir Civil Defense, Spokesman Col. Muhammad Abdul Raheem Al-Asimi praised the dean for acting wisely in evacuating the 2,000 students and 80 faculty members before the Civil Defense arrived. “The evacuation process went smoothly and 2,000 students were taken home in buses. Fire squads used modern equipment to suck out the smoke. Twenty nine faculty members were slightly injured and taken to the hospital. Twenty of which have left the hospital.” An Okaz/Saudi Gazette reporter on the scene said the Civil Defense teams faced great difficulties in getting to the scene due to a large crowd of onlookers. When he arrived at the school, it was unrecognizable. A flood of water was gushing down the corridors of the college. “Some windows were smashed in by students who had been contemplating jumping in their terror. Students' backpacks and purses were thrown into the courtyard of the college,” an eyewitness said. The chaos that erupted illustrates the terror the frightened students must have felt, just weeks after a fire in a Jeddah school claimed the lives of three teachers. __
