Dammam: A major fire broke out in a souk in the Al-Souq district of Dammam, in Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Province, and gutted several shops owned by Indian traders and others operating in the area.
In a post on X, the General Directorate of Civil Defence said its teams responded swiftly, contained the blaze and extinguished it completely. Officials confirmed that no injuries were reported and that precautionary measures were taken to protect residents and nearby properties.
According to Kerala daily Manorama Online, the gutted shops belonged to Malayalis operating businesses in the busy market area. Initial findings suggest the fire originated in a godown storing plastics, chemicals and paints.
As the fire erupted in the afternoon, workers had already left, which reportedly helped avert a major tragedy.
Civil Defence personnel later carried out cooling operations to ensure there were no remaining hotspots.
The relevant authorities have launched an investigation to determine the cause of the blaze.
