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[nomad soul]

At Least 11 Die in Fire at Saudi Aramco Residential Compound
By Ahmed Al Omran, The Wall Street Journal | August 30, 2015
Source: http://www.wsj.com/articles/at-least-11-die-in-fire-at-saudi-aramco-residential-compound-1440937797#livefyre-comment

RIYADH—A large fire at a residential compound of Saudi Arabia’s state-owned oil giant killed at least 11 people and injured more than 200 on Sunday, officials said. Saudi Aramco, the world’s largest oil company in terms of crude production and exports, operates several gated compounds for its expat workforce in the eastern region of the Kingdom.

“We are deeply saddened to learn of the fatalities and injuries which resulted from the fire. We offer our heartfelt condolences to the families of the deceased,” Acting President and CEO Amin H. Nasser said in a statement. “Our immediate priority is to provide full support to those affected by this tragic incident. Saudi Aramco is fully committed to ensure the safety and well-being of our employees and their families.”

Sunday’s fire started early in the morning in the basement of a tower in the eastern city of Khobar. “Civil Defense and Saudi Aramco fire brigades responded to this incident,” the company said during the early afternoon on Sunday. It later said the fire was fully extinguished.

Saudi Arabia’s Civil Defense said on Twitter that the fire was “under control,” and that teams were searching the towers to ensure that they had been fully evacuated. Photos posted online by the Civil Defense showed columns of black smoke billowing from the building’s windows as cars and furniture burned and hindered the search-and-rescue operation.

The cause of the fire was unknown. Authorities will conduct an investigation to determine what triggered it, the company said.

The victims are of various nationalities, the Civil Defense said, but it didn’t provide further details.

Rescue teams from Saudi Aramco and the Civil Defense have completed clearing compound buildings and floors and evacuated all occupants, Saudi Aramco said. Evacuated residents have been relocated to other residential facilities.

The company has a largely clean safety record at its compounds. The Radium Residential Complex, where the fire started, is a gated community whose eight, six-story buildings comprise 486 units, according to Saudi Aramco’s website.

The oil giant employs more than 61,000 workers from 77 countries, many of whom reside in company housing.

(End of article)

[babur]

Dear NS, Nice thoughts, but everybody has access to the Internet, press, TV, radio.................

[scot47]

the story has not been reported in the Mainstream Media. The nationality of those who died means it is not newsworthy in the bit of the globe where I live.

[nomad soul]

I posted it mainly for the issue of fire safety. For example, when I was in KSA, there was a fire at my housing complex in a storage room near my apartment unit. No fire alarms nor sprinklers went off, and our security staff had a hard time getting into the room, which delayed their ability to put out the fire before it did a lot of damage. Fortunately. all the alarms were repaired within a week. Additionally, at my campus, maintenance placed rope emergency escape ladders by the hall windows, yet the windows were the type that doesn't open. My colleagues and I figured we'd have to use a fire extinguisher to bust the glass in case of a fire --- not mention we'd have to climb down the ladders while wearing our abayas.

I've also lived in countries where the housing had fixed bars on the windows and on the only door to the unit. Worse, you needed a key to exit the flat. You're screwed if there's a fire outside that one door. I realized I'd have to push or kick out the air con unit to escape in an emergency.

[sicklyman]

[sicklyman]

[pooroldedgar]

Maybe early today it was out of the mainstream media, but by now there's articles in papers in Sydney, London, Tokyo, and New York. Which is good. I really, really don't want to sound callous. And I understand what's important here. But hopefully some better practices will stem from this tragedy.

[scot47]

As usual, Sicklyman is right and Yours Truly has it wrong. It has been reported here in the Yookay in the Mainstream Media.

My bad ! Naughty, naughty scot47. Now move on, nothing to see here !

[sicklyman]