JEDDAH, 17 May — A huge fire gutted nine cabins in a tourist resort establishment in Obhur. The fire from welding operations in one of the cabins of the Shakeeb Resorts spread to adjacent cabins by strong winds in this coastal resort, said Col. Muhammad Al-Ghamdi, director of Jeddah Civil Defense on Tuesday.

By the time civil defense’s fire-fighting unit arrived, several cabins had already been reduced to ashes. However, efforts of the firefighters stopped the fire from spreading to the remaining cabins and chalets, the official said. The fire did not cause any loss of life or serious injuries. The owner of the tourist resort, however,  claimed that the welding was being carried out without any precautionary measures.

Meanwhile, another fire broke out in a farm in Qassim gutting a farmhouse housing a large quantity of wheat. The fire was caused by a short circuit when the harvesting machine’s teeth cut into an electricity cable carrying 480 volts of current.

The driver of the machine was hurled from the seat to the ground by the electric jolt he received. Part of the machine and a good part of the farmhouse and the grains were destroyed in the fire. The driver, on recovering from the shock, picked himself up to escape the fire. The owner and his neighbors battled the blaze before putting it out.