Ibtisam Sheqdar / Arab News
 
Makkah, Aug 3: The Civil Defense safely evacuated on Sunday about 100 children from an orphan’s home on Sitteen Street.

The building caught fire as the result of an electrical short circuit in the TV connections, Civil Defense spokesman Lt. Col. Ali Al-Muntashiri said.

He added that none of the children were injured in the fire that broke out in the reception hall on the first floor of the four-story building.

The spokesman said a woman working in the orphanage was slightly affected by smoke inhalation but was treated on the spot by Red Crescent paramedics who were at the scene. “She did not need to go to the hospital for any further treatment,” he added.

Al-Muntashiri said seven units of the Civil Defense, consisting of five rescue teams and two fire-extinguishing units dealt with the fire.

“Both teams made great efforts to save the children and to get them to safety,” he said. He estimated losses to be about SR30,000.