Mother and 3 children die in Jeddah house fire

The blaze at the building had burned for some time, with only a mattress remaining on fire and requiring attention, an official said. (AN photo)

JEDDAH: A mother and her three children have died after a fire broke out in their home in the Al-Safa neighborhood in northeast Jeddah.
Col. Saeed Sarhan, Civil Defense spokesman in the Makkah region, said teams in Jeddah received a report about the fire at 3:42 a.m. on Friday.
“Immediately teams responded to the incident,” he said.
The blaze at the building, consisting of two floors and an extension building, had burned for some time, with only a mattress remaining on fire and requiring attention, the official said.
He said evidence was collected and the bodies of the four deceased family members were transferred to hospital.
The incident resulted in the death of a 33-year-old resident mother and her three children — twins aged 4, and a 7-year-old daughter. All members were found deceased in the hall of the building extension unit, which included a bedroom, kitchen, and living room.
“Preliminary information for investigation does not indicate what prompted the fire and investigations are still underway by concerned authorities,” said Sarhan.
The incident comes as two other recent fires were reported in Jeddah, causing a total of eight injuries.
Jeddah Civil Defense at dawn on Thursday evacuated seven people trapped in a fire that broke out in an apartment in the Al-Faisaliah neighborhood.
Three of those rescued were moved to the hospital after suffering smoke inhalation after being trapped inside the building, while the remaining 4 people were treated at the scene.
Sarhan said that two women and one child were moved to hospital by the Saudi Red Crescent.
“The fire broke out on the ground floor in a room and a lounge, and the smoke spread to upper floors of the building, which consists of three floors, including 12 apartments, prompting the Civil Defense teams to start evacuation operations of the residents,” Sarhan said.
Sarhan said the three people hospitalized were trapped on the first floor of the building because of the thickness of the smoke and fumes, which also spread to upper floors.
“They suffered from smoke inhalation and were immediately moved by the Saudi Red Crescent to the hospital for treatment. The three cases are still under follow-up by Jeddah Civil Defense specialists,” he explained.
Sarhan said the reason for the density of the smoke in the corridors was because an addition to the building formed a separate floor which closed all routes to the roof, thus limiting air currents from drawing smoke outside the building.
“There was also a reduced chance of survival for the victims with only the main gate as an exit, which, in turn, was full of smoke that prevented the residents from escaping to a safer place,” he added.
In a separate incident, Jeddah Civil Defense personnel handled a fire that broke out in workers’ housing units established within the borders of a fenced area of 900 square meters.
Sarhan said the fire was brought under control with only two units damaged, and the injury of one person with superficial burns; he was moved to hospital for treatment.
He confirmed the appropriate authorities are investigating the incident.