JEDDAH, 1 June 2006 — A huge fire broke out yesterday in the Aljomaih Automotive Company dealership near the Tahliah intersection of Madinah Road here.
Workers quickly evacuated the area as the fire spread from the workshop to the spare parts department. Company officials said this department alone contained over SR50 million worth of equipment and parts.
The fire then moved quickly to the showroom containing about 20 cars, and the company’s offices. Workers managed to evacuate seven of the vehicles before flames consumed the entire complex.
“At this point we are still assessing the damage to our facilities,” said CEO Ibrahim Aljomaih in a statement.
No serious injuries were reported in the fire that sent a thick plume of dark gray smoke that could be seen throughout the city. The Red Crescent Society treated some people on the scene for minor smoke inhalation and fatigue. Eyewitnesses said several vehicles exploded in the fire.
Maj. Gen. Mohammed Al-Ghamdi, head of Civil Defense in Jeddah, said the fire started around 1.45 p.m. at the company’s onsite service center. The cause of the fire is still under investigation but initial speculation is that it was electrical.
Eleven firefighting teams arrived at the scene including a helicopter. Traffic police shut off the busy Madinah Road near the company and gawking bystanders amassed in front of the dealership and on the nearby pedestrian bridge to watch the emergency operation in action.
Company workers were seen helping out the firefighters by removing obstacles and pushing the fire hose. The fire was contained around 3.30 p.m.
The manager of the auto dealer’s branch was seen pacing in front of the wrecked vehicles answering a string of phone calls. The man refused to talk to Arab News.
Mohammed Murshit, public relations official at Aljomaih Company, said the building was the flagship showroom and spare parts retailer in the western region.
Murshit said there were over 180 vehicles in the service center belonging to customers. Aljomaih is a dealer for Chevrolet, GMC, Cadillac and Opel cars in Saudi Arabia.
“Everything is insured,” he added.
Terry Johnson, GM managing director in the Middle East, said the auto giant had dispatched people to assist in customer issues raised by the fire.
While owners of the major auto dealership in the Kingdom suffered a huge loss and watched their flagship agency go up in smoke, a nearby cafeteria saw its profits for the day jump sharply as Civil Defense officials and others flocked to buy bottles of water in the midday heat and smoke.
Arshad, a Bengali worker at the cafeteria, said he ran out of beverages.
“I sold in a couple of hours what I usually sell in a few months,” he said.
