PremiumWhile Saudi Arabia and its state-run oil behemoth Saudi Aramco did not immediately acknowledge the blaze, it appeared to be centred on the same fuel depot that the Houthis had attacked in recent days
A fire broke out on Friday at an oil depot in Jeddah ahead of an F1 race in the Saudi city, where Aramco has several facilities, reported news agency AP.
Yemen's Houthis rebels acknowledged they had launched a series of attacks on the kingdom.
Houthi military spokesman Yahya Sarea said that they had attacked Saudi Arabian state oil giant's facilities in the port city of Jeddah with missiles and the Ras Tanura and Rabigh refineries with drones.
Sarea added that the attack also targeted vital facilities in the Saudi capital Riyadh.
While Saudi Arabia and its state-run oil behemoth Saudi Aramco did not immediately acknowledge the blaze, it appeared to be centred on the same fuel depot that the Houthis had attacked in recent days.
Videos from the location show the practice racing while large smoke clouds were seen in the distance.
Those at the F1 track could see the large black smoke cloud in the distance. The cause of the blaze was not immediately known.
The second-ever Saudi Arabian Grand Prix in Jiddah is taking place on Sunday, though concerns had been raised by some over the recent attacks targeting the kingdom.
The F1 said in a statement: “The position at the moment is that we are waiting for further information from the authorities on what has happened." It did not elaborate.
However, the al-Masirah satellite news channel run by Yemen's Houthi rebels said more details would be released later about their attacks. The Houthis did not immediately claim they were behind the Jiddah fire on Friday.
The attacks come as Saudi Arabia still leads a coalition battling the Iran-backed Houthis, who seized Yemen's capital of Sanaa in September 2014. The kingdom, which entered the war in Yemen in 2015, has been internationally criticized for its airstrikes killing that have killed scores of civilians — something the Houthis point to as they launch drones, missiles and mortars into the kingdom.
The North Jiddah Bulk Plant sits just southeast of the city’s international airport, a crucial hub for Muslim pilgrims heading to Mecca. Videos of the blaze corresponded to known geographic features around the plant.
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