Four children die in apartment fire south of Jeddah

JEDDAH: Four children died and their mother was seriously injured, and was moved to a hospital for treatment, after a fire broke out in the apartment they were staying at in Al-Rawabi neighborhood, to the south of Jeddah.
Makkah Civil Defense Spokesman Col. Saeed Sarhan said the Civil Defense teams in Jeddah handled the fire that broke out in Al-Rawabi neighborhood after receiving a report by a caller after noticing the flames and smoke coming from the apartment.
Civil Defense teams moved to the scene of the fire, and at the same time notified the national 911 center of the incident, and teams moved to address the situation.
The teams broke into the apartment to search for survivors in the rooms and halls. The smoke was intense, and the temperatures were high because of the flames.
Col. Sarhan said the search operations resulted in finding four children, and their mother inside a room suffering from asphyxiation; they were moved outside by the teams and immediately transferred to the hospital by the Saudi Red Crescent.
“The children, aged between 3 months and 7 years, and the mother in her 30s, and were moved to the intensive care unit. Further investigations are still going on to determine the cause of the fire. Our initial information suggests the father went to work before the fire broke out.”
He confirmed that in conjunction with the rescue operation, residents of the building, which consists of two floors, were evacuated because of the spread of smoke and fumes.
Col. Sarhan said that preliminary information of the investigation suggests the fire broke out in the lounge opposite the living room. The flames consumed large areas, and then spread to the adjacent living room.