Industrial warehouse catches fire in Sharjah

Sharjah: A warehouse containing petrochemicals razed on Thursday in a fire that lasted for over four hours.

No casualties or injuries were reported. The fire broke out at 11.30 pm in a warehouse located in Industrial Area No 5.

The fire spread quickly due to the presence of extremely flammable liquids and chemicals stored in the warehouse and the flames were also fuelled by strong winds.

Sharjah Civil Defence firemen rushed to the scene and with the cooperation of Dubai, Umm Al Quwain and Ajman firefighters, the blaze was finally put out by 4 am on Friday.

A senior official from Sharjah Civil Defence said that nobody was injured as the warehouse was already closed for the day and that there were no labour accomodations located nearby.

Civil Defence are currently carrying out investigations to find out how the fire was caused.

The official has pointed out that in order to prevent such fires from breaking out, chemicals should be properly stored and all companies should adhere to the rules and regulations about keeping their warehouses and storage depots well-maintained.

Major fires in Sharjah

January 27, 2006: Two people were killed and more than 200 were injured in a massive blaze that engulfed the two-storey building in Sharjah.

July 2, 2006: Fire sweeps a mattress factory in Sharjah Industrial Area No. 10 with an estimated loss of more than Dh 13 million.

October 29, 2007: Ten workers suffered severe burns, two others sustained moderate injuries and five workers were killed when a massive fire broke out at Al Sharq lubricant factory.

September 20, 2008: A massive fire gutted more than 10,000 square metres of edible oil plant in Sharjah's Port Khalid.

October 28, 2008: A fire was caused by an electrical short-circuit killed a 2-year-old girl and her brother in Abdullah Khouri building in Sharjah.

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