Fire triggers pollution fear

Dubai: The desalination plant of Zulal Water Company was shut down on Saturday for fear of pollution of drinking water following a massive fire at the oil storage facility at Port Khalid in Sharjah.

As a precautionary measure, Sharjah Police evacuated labour accommodation close to the area and electricity to the area was disconnected, according to a Sharjah Police official.

Lieutenant General Shaikh Saif Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Interior, visited the site.

High flames and thick plumes of smoke billowing from the area worried residents in nearby areas; three people were admitted to hospital for smoke inhalation, according to Sharjah Police.

An oil spill was reported near the port as thousands of oil barrels were burnt in the inferno, Gulf News has learnt. Special teams to contain oil spillage were also called in to avert any environmental disaster.

"This is the first time that such a massive fire has broken out at an oil storage facility," said Saif Al Shafar, Undersecretary at the Ministry of Interior.

"I want to cut off the smoke from spreading to the residential areas and so it becomes all the more important for us to get the 'cooling off' done as soon as possible," he said.

"Apart from dozens of fire engines, six tonnes of foam have also been brought in with the permission of the Ministry of Interior to put out the fire," said a Civil Defence official.

The fire broke out at the Emirates Lube Oil Company Ltd facility at around 11.20pm on Friday night. "The fire was raging and there were explosions. It was a horrific site," said one of the company employees.

Sounds of the explosion could be heard from far throughout the day as thousands of oil barrels exploded in the fire.

A Civil Defence official on the spot told Gulf News that at least nine oil vessels, which were berthed nearby, have been towed to territorial waters.

Meanwhile, Sharjah Container Terminal (SCT) at the port was unaffected by the blaze that gutted the petroleum product storage facilities.

Keith Nuttall, commercial manager of Gulftainer that manages SCT on behalf of the Sharjah Port Authority, said there was no damage either to the terminal or the area where containers are stored as the fire was some distance away.

An official from the company refused to talk about the destruction or the losses.

With inputs from Bassma Al Jandaly, Staff Reporter