Four members of an Indian family died while three others suffered injuries as fire broke out in their home in Al-Ruwais District here on Thursday. The family members were asleep when the fire started. All the deaths – the mother and her three children in the 3-13 age group – occurred due to suffocation. The eldest daughter, 17, escaped unhurt as she jumped out of the window. The father and his 15-year old son suffered burn injuries and are now recovering in a hospital. Civil Defense personnel and four firefighting and rescue teams extinguished the fire which started in a narrow corridor of the house, which may have prevented the family from escaping. Col. Muhammad Al-Qarni, Director-designate of Civil Defense in Jeddah, said the causes of the fire have not yet been determined. – Okaz __
