1,000 pilgrims evacuated as fire engulfs hotel in Mecca

Some one thousand people have been evacuated following a fire at the eighth floor of a hotel housing pilgrims from Asia in the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia.

The Saudi Civil Defense agency said that at least two people were hurt in the blaze that engulfed the hotel early Thursday.

The agency would not disclose either the nationality of the pilgrims, or the cause of the incident.

The fire occurred at a time when thousands of Muslim pilgrims are pouring into the holy city to perform the annual Hajj pilgrimage.