Viral footage capturing a fire in an all-boys school located in the Saudi city of Medina sparked outrage on Twitter earlier this week. 

In his statement on the matter, Omar Bernawi, the official spokesman for Medina's Education Authority, said:

"The fire first broke out in the school's Art Museum which is located in a backyard. The place wasn't overcrowded and therefore no students were harmed by the fumes. Pupils were quickly evacuated from the building and their parents were immediately notified of the incident."

According to Al Riyadh newspaper, 456 students were safely evacuated by school officials during the incident, which is said to have been caused by an electrical fault.

Fire fighters then arrived at the scene and put the blaze out.  

A video capturing the terrifying incident circulated on Twitter

The school fire left people shocked

"Oh my God." 

Valid questions were raised

"I've been noticing an increase in school fires, what's going on?"

"Unfortunately, there aren't any safety measures implemented in schools."

Many were relieved there were no casualties

"The most important thing is that there aren't any reported injuries." 

And thanked school officials for handling the situation

"Honestly, teachers, students, and security men must be thanked over the fact that no injuries or deaths were reported during evacuation." 

Others still had concerns though

"Some government school buildings lack safety equipment." 

In recent years, several school fires were reported in the kingdom

In 2016, fires broke out at six different Jeddah schools within a single day, "raising questions and concerns about safety standards." 

In 2011, 600 female students were evacuated from a school in Jeddah after a major fire raged through its campus.

One of the most tragic school fires ever reported in the kingdom dates back to 2002, when a deadly blaze broke-out in an all-female school in Mecca. 

The incident left 14 students dead and sparked outrage across the kingdom. At the time, the country's Presidency for Girls’ Education said that the victims died in a stampede as they tried to escape the fire. 

However, other reports on the matter stated that deaths occurred because there was a delay in the school's evacuation process.

In a report published in 2002, witnesses told Arab News that "the main gate of the intermediate school could not be opened immediately because the key was with the male guard, who was away."