Sharjah: Workers escaped unhurt as a huge fire ripped through 20 warehouses and stores in Sharjah Industrial Area 13 on Monday night.
The fire destroyed warehouses of auto spare parts, metal and aluminium equipment, furniture, garments and some stores of perfume and oils.
Labourers in the area fled the scene after trying to douse the fire with buckets of water. The fire is believed to have started at around 9 pm at one of the warehouses before spreading the other buildings.
Fire crews battled the flames until late night. Sharjah Police sealed off roads leading to the warehouses, allowing only emergency services such as firefighters and ambulances to pass.
Officials are investigating the cause the fire, said Sharjah Civil Defence. No injuries were reported in the blaze, said Brigadier Abdullah Al Suwaidi, Director-General of Sharjah Civil Defence.
Workers in nearby premises were evacuated to safety as the fire started to spread, said officials. There had been initial accounts of labourers running out onto the streets as the flames spread.
Al Suwaidi said that a fire-tender was dispatched to the scene as soon as the blaze was reported, to prevent widespread damage.
Firefighters from civil defence headquarters and Dubai and Ajman participated in the operations.
