Over 600 people, most of whom have arrived in Saudi Arabia for the hajj pilgrimage from Turkey and Yemen, were evacuated because of the fire in a hotel in the Saudi city of Mecca, TASS reported quoting Saudi newspaper Ukaz.
No casualties were reported in the fire, which was sparked by a faulty air conditioning unit on the eighth floor of a hotel in the Azaziyah district of Mecca.
The hajj draws Muslims from around the world to the western Saudi Arabian city of Mecca, birthplace of the Prophet Mohammed and the most revered site in Islam.
The pilgrimage, a pillar of Islam that capable Muslims must perform at least once, will take place in the first week of September.
