25 people were living in burnt Sharjah villa
POLICE SUSPECT FIRE FROM ELECTRICAL SOURCE; HOUSE OWNER TO BE QUESTIONED
Forensic experts were sifting through the charred remains of a villa yesterday to determine the cause of a fire that killed a woman and her son late on Monday night in Sharjah.
The Pakistani woman, 40, and her 7-year-old son died of burns after the fire broke out in the villa in the Maysloon area, officials confirmed to Gulf News yesterday. At least 25 people, including bachelors and families, shared the house.
Three other people, including the grandfather of the deceased boy, were taken to hospital. The grandfather of the boy is recovering at Khalifa Hospital in Ajman from a heart attack he suffered during the incident.
The fire broke out at around 9.40pm, said Major Hani Rashid Dahmani, Director of Media and Public Relations Department at Sharjah Police. He said the fire had spread to adjacent rooms and the tenants there were evacuated.
Initial reports suggested the fire may have started from an electrical source.
Quick response from Sharjah Civil Defence and Police patrols averted a bigger disaster and saved dozens of lives as they managed to contain the blaze within a short time, he said.
Brigadier Mohammad Rashid Bayat, Director of Sharjah Police Operations, who visited the accident site, told Gulf News that it was too early to determine the cause of fire. He said police would summon the owner of the house for questioning.
Evacuation
The residents who were evacuated from nearby buildings were allowed to come back after 3am.
Sunil Joseph, 30, an Indian resident, told Gulf News: “I took my family to a nearby building and stayed there till 3am.”
Zenat, from India in her 50s said the deceased had two children. Victim’s elder son, 9, travelled to Pakistan with his father three days before the fire.