Six buildings in Jeddah's historic town, Al Balad, caught fire on Tuesday night, three of which eventually collapsed to the ground.
Following the blaze, at least 60 people were forced to evacuate the buildings. Six people in total - 5 firefighters and a Saudi man - were left injured. Luckily, no one died.
More than a dozen firefighting and rescue teams from Jeddah’s General Directorate of Civil Defense helped put out the fire.
"Rescue teams managed Tuesday evening to evacuate about 60 people to safe areas, while firefighters extinguished the blaze that broke out at the front of six buildings, all of which were populated and within the historic area," said Col. Saeed Sarhan, civil defense spokesman in the region of Mecca, >according to Arab News.
Firefighters managed to contain around 80 percent of the fire.
The affected buildings, according to Arab News, include Al-Qumsani, Al-Ashmawi and Abdel-Aal. Though the buildings were old, they were all inhabited, according to Gulf News.
The fire reportedly broke out in a 4-story brick building made of mud and coral limestone and roofed with wood. The fire then spread to other buildings through wooden beams, >according to Arab News.
People are heartbroken over the news
Some are at a loss for words
Because it's Al Balad we're talking about ...
The Saudi town of Al-Balad was first founded in the 7th century and has since been seen as the center of Jeddah - being both a trading center and the gateway for Muslim pilgrims going to Mecca.
Al-Balad has been recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage site since 2014, five years after the Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities nominated it for the position.