Old Jeddah building catches fire

A fire broke out on the second floor of an old building on Palestine Street on Thursday evening during prayer time.
The Civil Defense immediately dispatched 10 trucks to the site on receiving information about the fire. Abdul Majeed, an eyewitness, said there were no casualties and that the Civil Defense teams had reached the spot on time. “It seems that the fire was caused by an electrical short circuit, but the Civil Defense teams are conducting an investigation before they announce their finding,” Abdul Majeed said.
Arab News found a number of dilapidated buildings in the old part of Jeddah such as Mushrifa, Aziziah and Sharafiya that need maintenance. However, the owners are neglecting to carry out the necessary repairs leading to these buildings becoming a fire hazard.
Faulty wiring often causes electrical short circuits leading to fires. The walls and even roofs of these buildings are in dire need of repairs but the owners are only interested in making a profit. Sometimes, they will have the buildings painted from outside to give them a refurbished look and fool the municipality into believing that maintenance work has been carried out.