Fire breaks out in Buraidah prison

Fire breaks out in Buraidah prison
Ghazanfar Ali Khan
A fire broke out in a prison in Buraidah, the capital city of Al-Qassim Province in north-central Saudi Arabia, on Saturday.
It was not immediately known whether inmates are safe or if there have been injuries as a result of the fire.
General Mansour Al-Turki, a spokesman for the Ministry of Interior, confirmed the fire that engulfed part of the correctional facility in Buraidah.
He did not, however, provide details. Al-Turki told Arab News that prison authorities would soon release a statement.
According to a report published on www.sabq.org, a news website, "the fire broke out at the prison and rioting and gunshots were heard." Another Saudi official also confirmed that a fire had broken out at the prison, but said it had been brought under control.
The news website reported that security forces were at the scene in the prison, where the fire was reported in three rooms. Local residents said the inmates were being held for criminal offenses in that prison, which is located in an old part of the capital city of Qassim.