450 evacuated in Makkah school fire

About 450 students of Haramain primary school in the Aziziya district of Makkah were evacuated Sunday after some of its air conditioners caught fire. Civil Defense firefighters in Makkah quelled the blaze in a record time, without causing any casualty among children, authorities said.
“Students of the school were shocked when its fire warning siren went off. They also witnessed intense smoke coming out of the school,” one source said, adding that the school’s safety team and teachers began evacuating students before the arrival of Civil Defense officers.
The Civil Defense sent five teams to put out the fire and asked students to get out of their classes and stand in the courtyard. The school has 410 students in addition to 40 teachers and administrators.
“The Civil Defense extinguished the fire and removed smoke using special equipment,” an official statement said. “They also encouraged children to return to classes,” it added.