Two pilgrims were injured after a fire broke out on the eighth floor of an 11-story hotel building in the Al-Aziziyah neighborhood of Makkah in the early hours of Thursday.

However, the Civil Defense acted swiftly and evacuated 1,028 Hajis, believed to be Asians, while putting out the blaze.

Col. Abdullah Al-Orabi Al-Harthy, media spokesman of the Civil Defense, was quoted by SPA as saying that six teams were dispatched to the hotel soon after receiving a call at 12.30 a.m.

He said the pilgrims were accommodated at an alternative place in coordination with the Ministry of Haj.

The Civil Defense did not divulge the nationality of the pilgrims. The cause of the fire was yet to be ascertained. Arab News