A fire broke out Wednesday in a five-story apartment building in downtown Jeddah injuring 26 persons. The Civil Defense had to break the bars of windows to evacuate 130 people. It also shut down the building because it found many safety violations. Five men seriously affected by smoke inhalation were rescued, thanks to the quick response from the Civil Defense teams. A helicopter hovered over the building as a backup in case the Civil Defense teams found it difficult to contain the blaze. Brig. Gen. Abdullah Jadawi, Director of Jeddah Civil Defense, said: “Our teams evacuated 26 apartments occupied by families and 90 apartments occupied by bachelors.” The fire started in the eastern side of the building and spread engulfing the entire building, according to the Civil Defense report. Jadawi said the building was sealed due to safety violations when it was found that emergency exits were being used to store furniture. “We have asked the owner of the building to procure housing for the evacuees or refund their rent money. If he fails to do so, we'll take care of it,” he said. __
