A large column of smoke and flames rises in the area of a facility of the Saudi oil company Saudi Aramco in the capital Riyadh, an eyewitness told "Reuters" on Saturday.
So far, Saudi authorities have not officially confirmed the information about the fire and there is no information about what caused it. Saudi Aramco also did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
It was not reported whether there were any injuries or what the possible material damage was. There is no confirmation that the Aramco facility itself was affected by the fire.
No one has claimed responsibility for the incident so far.
The fire is attracting particular attention amid the sharp escalation of the conflict between Saudi Arabia and the Iran-backed Yemeni Houthis, who have stepped up attacks on Saudi cities and energy infrastructure in recent weeks.
Just days ago, the Houthis announced that they had attacked Saudi Aramco facilities in the Yanbu region - one of Saudi Arabia's main oil and industrial centers on the Red Sea coast - with missiles and drones.
Saudi authorities announced at the time that air defenses had intercepted six ballistic missiles launched by the Houthis towards the Taif and Yanbu regions. Riyadh did not report any damage to Aramco facilities in the attack.
There is currently no evidence linking the fire in Riyadh on Saturday to the Houthis.
Saudi Aramco is the world's largest oil company and its facilities have repeatedly been targeted by Yemen. The most serious blow came in September 2019, when attacks on facilities in Abqaiq and Khurais temporarily knocked out a significant portion of Saudi oil production.
Saudi authorities are expected to provide more information about the cause of the fire and possible damage.
Source: news.bg