12 warehouses gutted in massive Sharjah fire
sharjah — The fire that erupted in a furniture factory complex in Sharjah industrial area on Monday destroyed 12 warehouses, said an official from the Sharjah Civil Defence.
Firefighters from the Sharjah Civil Defence managed to control the fire in the complex in Sharjah Industrial area 13, said Col. Sami Al Naqabi, DirectorGeneral of the Sharjah Civil Defence, adding that no casualties have been reported. However, the fire caused damage worth millions of dirhams.
The fire broke out at 12 noon and was controlled in two hours by firefighters from Samnan, Sajjah and Muwailih fire stations, said.
He said that the operations room received a call about the fire at 12 noon and within five minutes, firefighters from various stations arrived at the site. “Due to strong wind, the fire spread quickly and gutted four warehouses which stored wood, foams and building materials.”
While firefighters were working to contain the fire, it spread to a nearby warehouse, which stored diesel containers. “This caused it to spread to the other warehouses despite the efforts of the civil defence personnel,” he added.
The flammable materials stored in the warehouses caused thick smoke to engulf the skies above the area, said Col Al Naqabi.
The cooling operation started at 2.20pm and continued for a few hours to ensure that the fire would not re-erupt. The site has been handed over to forensic experts to investigate the cause of the fire and estimate the damage.
He urged the owners of warehouses to follow fire safety and protection procedures to avoid loss of properties and lives.
afkarali@khaleejtimes.com