Amid fighting in Yemen, a fuel tank caught fire near the Riyadh Airport: Report

On Saturday, two citizens of the Saudi capital witnessed flames and black smoke coming from a location close to Riyadh’s international airport, while others in the city claimed to have heard explosions.

“In the direction of the airport we saw black smoke and fire,” one of the residents told

Later, it was reported that an Aramco fuel tank close to the airport in Riyadh was on fire. The Saudi oil corporation Aramco’s emblem appeared on the building as firefighters attempted to put out the flames of a burned-out fuel tank. FlightRadar24, an aircraft tracking website, reported significant problems at Riyadh King Khalid International Airport in the Saudi capital, including delays and cancellations.

The airport was experiencing “major problems with long delays and several cancelled flights” as indicated by the site’s maximum disruption level of 5.0.

The disturbance comes as Saudi authorities issued a midnight air raid alert, the first since violence in neighbouring Yemen escalated this month. On condition of anonymity, locals reported hearing what appeared to be another round of explosions reverberating across portions of the Saudi capital hours after the early morning alert.