The fire started in the basement of a tower in the eastern city of Khobar, the kingdom's civil defence said on Twitter. It added that several of the injured were in a "critical condition" and that the casualties were from "various nationalities," without giving details. Photographs published on the civil defence website showed plumes of black smoke rising from the windows of one of the buildings. Authorities said that residents of nearby towers were evacuated as helicopters took part in the firefighting operations