now seeking help from King Abdulaziz University (KAU) to investigate a gas cylinder explosion that killed seven people and injured many others. Gen. Abdullah Jeddawi, chief of the Civil Defense in Jeddah, described the accident as tragic and blamed it on the negligence of the restaurant owner and its workers. “Once the investigations are concluded, the case will be transferred to the prosecution. The Civil Defense will be seek maximum punishment for the restaurant owner whose negligence resulted in the tragedy,” Al-Madinah newspaper quoted Jeddawi as saying. He pointed out that there are certain safety norms that should not be ignored. The most important of them is period checks on gas cylinders to ensure that they are in good condition and not rusty. Jeddawi warned restaurant owners not to store many gas cylinders in one place. He pointed out that most of the restaurants commit these violations after obtaining permits from the Civil Defense. The Civil Defense chief vowed to punish restaurant owners infringing upon safety measures. He said some restaurant workers are using a wrong way to cool the gas cylinders by putting them inside water. He said this would increase the pressure of gas cylinders and cause them to explode. Jeddawi said the Civil Defense responded to at least 997 fire incidents in different parts of the province since the beginning of summer. He said 105 shops were shut down in the industrial area north of Jeddah because they did not follow safety measures. Jeddawi said his forces were intensifying efforts to ensure safety measures are applied in furnished apartments and amusement parks during the summer vacation. He said inspection raids are carried out on a daily basis and Civil Defense teams are deployed in all locations. Meanwhile, people are calling for applying stricter measures on restaurants, especially on those in the southern part of Jeddah. Most of the restaurants in the area are found violating many health and safety regulations. Lafi Al-Harbi, a Saudi citizen, said there is so much fear now when they go to restaurants because they do not know when the next accident will happen. “There are many violations happening inside restaurants. Anyone can easily find stacks of gas cylinders lined up next to each other inside restaurants. In the event of a fire, people inside these restaurants will be at great risk,” said Al-Harbi, adding that he is afraid of waiting inside restaurants for takeaway food. “Now I place my orders and then wait outside,” he said. Faisal Al-Thaqafi, another Saudi, said now they have to worry not only about food poisoning, but also about their safety inside restaurants. “Who is responsible for the lives lost in the restaurant blast? Is it the Civil Defense which was not checking on the restaurant's compliance with safety regulations or the restaurant owner who was negligent? It is obvious that there is no serious monitoring of these restaurants,” said Al-Thaqafi. — SG
