Definition: In this task, a passage will be given and the goal is to identify an event from the passage. An event is defined as a single word representing something that happened, is happening, or may happen. An event can be factual or hypothetical, positive or negative, certain or uncertain. While most events are based on verbs, an event can also be based on a noun (ex. storm, snow, rainfall) or a copula verb (is, was, been, etc.). The event must not be a pronoun or an adjective. For noun events with multiple words, use the last word in the phrase as event.
Input: Passage: "Because of the strong winds, the fire spread north of Mina," the director of Saudi civil defense, General Mohammed ibn Ali al-Sahili, told the official SPA news agency. The fire, sparked by a gas bottle used for cooking, began at 11:45 a.m. (0845 GMT) Tuesday about five kilometers (three miles) north of Mecca, the home of Islam's holiest shrines, witnesses said.

used