Saudi firefighters battling huge bush blaze in Assir

Cairo: Saudi firefighters are battling a huge fire that erupted Wednesday night in a mountainous area in Assir in the south-western part of Saudi Arabia, civil defence said.

The fire broke out in a rugged forest area in Jabal Ghalameh in Assir’s Governorate of Tanuma and has been fanned by strong winds.

Firefighters had to climb the inhospitable area after their trucks had difficulty reaching it, according to media reports.

“The civil defence teams are continuing their mission in extinguishing the Tanuma fire and preventing its extension to residential areas,” the civil defence said on its Twitter account. There have been no casualties so far, it added.

Around 70 per cent of the fire has been put out, according to Assir authorities. The cause of the blaze has not been given.