In a heartbreaking incident, seven members of a family tragically lost their lives in a fire caused by a mobile phone charger in the city of Hofuf, Al-Ahsa governorate. The victims, including six siblings and their nephew, succumbed to toxic smoke inhalation after a blaze engulfed their two-story home.
The deceased have been identified as Laila Hussein Al-Jibran, Iman Hussein, Latifa Hussein, Ahmed Hussein, Reda Hussein, Abdul-Ilah Hussein, and their nephew Hussein Ali Al-Jibran. Among them was Latifa Hussein, who had recently celebrated her marriage contract and was eagerly anticipating her wedding ceremony, only to lose her life in the devastating fire.
The fire is believed to have started when a mobile phone charger, left connected to the electricity, ignited while resting on a sofa in one of the rooms. The flames spread quickly, consuming the furniture and reaching the ceiling, which triggered the rapid escalation of the fire throughout the house.
Sadiq Al-Jibran, the victims’ uncle, explained that the charger began to melt, igniting nearby furniture. Haider Al-Hassan, a family relative, detailed the swift spread of the flames, noting that when the fire first broke out, one of the sons alerted his uncle Basil. Basil attempted to control the fire using water, but the flames quickly overwhelmed him.
Hussein Al-Jibran, the father, tried to open doors to rescue his family, but he lost his balance and fell. His son, Basil, managed to help him and his mother out of the house. However, the thick smoke quickly spread to closed rooms, leading to suffocation and ultimately claiming the lives of all seven family members.
None of the victims were burned; all perished from suffocation due to the toxic smoke. Civil Defense teams arrived swiftly to extinguish the flames, but tragically, no one survived.
The surviving mother, who had been hospitalized after the incident, has since been discharged following improvement in her condition.
