Fire tears through Sharjah warehouses
Some destroyed but Eid holidays meant workers were safe
Fourteen warehouses in a Sharjah industrial area were destroyed or damaged after a blaze ripped through them yesterday. Fortunately, the workers at the storage areas were on Eid holidays and police said there were no casualties.
SHARJAH // Fourteen warehouses were destroyed or damaged after a huge blaze tore through an industrial area in Sharjah yesterday.
The fire broke out about noon in a garden furniture warehouse on Maliha Road, sending flames into the air and smoke billowing across a busy nearby motorway.
Motorists saw smoke pouring from the site close to the National Paints factory, a local landmark.
More than 50 firefighters arrived at the scene but the blaze took more than three hours to bring under control. Crews from Dubai and Ajman were also called in. Luqaman Mohammed, a Pakistani warehouse worker, was among the crowd that gathered at the scene.
He said that fortunately he and his colleagues were off work yesterday for the Eid holiday.
“I reached here about 12.30pm and it seemed the fire had started in the back area of the warehouse,” Mr Mohammed said.
“The warehouse is for garden furniture, so the fire spread quickly.
“Strong winds and hot weather helped the flames to spread, gutting more than 10 warehouses. Many of the materials inside were flammable.”
The owner of the warehouse, a Syrian who asked not to be identified, was also at the scene but said it was too early to know what caused the blaze.
“The hot weather made it a bit difficult to control the fire,” said Lt Col Saeed Al Suwaidi, director of Sharjah Civil Defence. “However, more than five fire stations from Sharjah, Dubai and Ajman attended and worked to control the fire.
Lt Col Al Suwaidi confirmed that 14 warehouses were damaged by the fire.
But he said that no casualties had been reported.