Lightning strike sparks fire, burns down palm trees in Saudi Arabia’s Taif

Cairo: A lightning strike had triggered a fire that burnt down several palm trees in Saudi Arabia’s western city of Taif, according to social media reports.

A video circulating on social media showed a set of palm trees in flames purportedly caused by lightning during rains that hit Taif on Saturday.

The burning trees seen in the footage lied next to a building.

The Saudi Civil Defence said its personnel had put out a “limited” fire that had hit six palm trees in Wadi Wej, causing no casualties. Authorities did not give a cause of the fire.

The Saudi National Centre for Meteorology has forecast rainy weather accompanied by dust winds and showers of hail on Sunday in parts of the regions of Mecca, Jizan, Asir and Al Baha, extending to the southern parts of the holy city of Medina.

Authorities in Mecca, of which Taif is administratively part, Saturday declared a red alert over heavy rainfall accompanied by hail showers and flooding.

Last week, Mecca, home to Islam’s holiest site, experienced downpours and a fierce storm that prompted temporary closure of educational institutions and shift to online learning.

Cleaning workers at the Grand Mosque, Islam’s holiest site in Mecca, were seen in a viral video losing their balance and blown away due to gale force winds.

Another video showed a bolt of lightning striking the Clock Tower, a landmark building located in the vicinity of the mosque. No casualties were reported.