Dubai: A foam warehouse caught fire early on Thursday afternoon in Dubai’s Al Qusais area.
Firefighters from several civil defence stations responded to the blaze.
No injuries have been reported.
Mahmoud Hamad, spokesperson of Dubai Civil Defence, told Gulf News the fire broke out at about 12.30pm and sent up a plume of black smoke that could be seen for kilometres.
The blaze led to traffic chaos in the area.
Firemen and civil defence personnel from Al Rashidiya and police officers from Al Qusais rushed to the scene in a multi-unit response. More police patrols and ambulance and rescue teams joined them later.
Police cordoned off the area and civil defence officers evacuated the warehouse and prevented the fire from spreading.
Firefighters brought the situation under control within four hours but continued to work on measures to prevent the blaze from reigniting.
Thick black smoke was seen billowing from the warehouse on account of the flammable materials still inside the facility.
Long lines of traffic could be seen on either side of Shaikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Road in the area of the blaze.
“People on the opposite side of the road were also slowing down to see the fire, leading to further traffic chaos,” Hamad said.
Police are investigating the cause of the blaze.
Dubai Civil Defence urged motorists to use alternative roads and not to slow down to watch the fire, saying the traffic chaos was a direct consequence of such behaviour.
The Dubai civil defence spokesperson termed the fire as a “moderate fire accident.”
