TWO YEARS ON, MASAFI FRIDAY MARKET TRADERS STILL RECOVERING FROM BLAZE
▶ Fire in 2015 destroyed 13 carpet shops and 16 fruit and veg outlets
Two years on from a huge fire that tore through Masafi’s Friday Market stalls, there is little evidence that the blaze even happened at all. But speak to any of the traders affected and they tell a different story.
To this day they are still trying to recover losses that ran into millions of dirhams after the fire destroyed 13 carpet and furniture shops and 16 fruit and vegetable outlets in May 2015.
Most rebuilt their shops at great cost but some had to alter what they sold because they could no longer afford to buy the products they had previously sold.
“We stopped selling carpets and switched to houseware products. We could not afford to buy carpet stock because it cost a lot and we did not want to lose everything and go back home empty-handed,” said Azghar Khan, a 42-year-old Pakistani trader who lost Dh1 million in the fire. He borrowed about Dh120,000 from other traders to rebuild his shop.
“The profit is not much and cannot be compared with carpet trading, but we are still trying to get back on our feet and this is the only solution available for now, until we pay back the money that we took from others,” Mr Khan said.
Most of the shop owners were still hoping for compensation from Fujairah Government. None of them had insurance because their stalls did not comply with insurers’ safety regulations.
“Insurance companies asked for concrete walls and we built them, but then they asked for concrete ceilings and glass doors, which was impossible because it would affect the image of the market and cost millions of dirhams,” said Noor Khan, another Pakistani shop owner.
He lost Dh13m worth of stock and paid Dh750,000 to rebuild three shops.
“Some said the government will give us money to reopen our shops but we did not receive anything and managed to rebuild our shops after taking loans from other traders that we will keep paying for years to come,” said the 30-year-old.
His father, Mohammed Khan, said: “We expected to be compensated ... but we didn’t receive anything, although we are still waiting and hoping.”
According to shop owners an electrical fault was believed to have started the fire, but police did not confirm that. After the fire, the traders faced electrical issues but Fujairah Municipality fixed the problem seven months ago.
None of the shop owners had insurance because their stalls did not comply with insurers’ safety regulations
“We used to use generators but now we have proper electrical connections that cost us Dh30,000 to be installed. But still, it is better than generators,” Noor Khan said.
His father, who runs Al Safa carpet shop, said that recovering from the fire was not easy. “Although we managed to rebuild the shops we are currently displaying old carpet patterns – we cannot buy the new trends and people are always looking for something new and that affected our business and profit badly,” he said.
The owner of Al Bustan carpet shop said he had debts before the fire, and this has now increased further.
“We had Dh15m worth of merchandise in the shop before the fire and we are still paying for that, along with another Dh14m for new stock and the rebuilding cost, which reached Dh2m,” said Bustan Abduljalil, a 70-year-old Afghan trader who owns five carpet shops with his brothers.
“The market is our life and selling carpets is our profession.
“It is what we are good at but we do not want to reach a point where we will not be able to cover expenses and workers’ wages, so we appreciate any financial support from the Government to keep our business running.”
One positive to come from the blaze is that the municipality now conducts training in firefighting techniques so staff at the market now are well versed in what to do in the event of another emergency.
“We took about three firefighting training courses and that was helpful. Fire extinguishers are available in each shop and stall along with regular check-ups done by the municipality to ensure the safety of the place,” Noor Khan said.
The market is a popular attraction, particularly on Fridays during the winter.
Located 35 kilometres inland from Fujairah city, it began in 1990 when a few Emirati farmers set up stalls by the roadside selling fresh fruits and vegetables and other products.
It soon became well known around the emirate, with various sellers lining each side of Al Dhaid-Masafi road, and now it attracts hundreds of tourists and visitors.