Dubai: Shopkeepers are dismayed after Saturday’s fire, which they say was the worst in the Masafi Friday Market’s 30-year history and reduced millions of dirhams worth of goods, possessions and even passports to cinders.
To make matters worse most of the goods were uninsured, leaving them uncertain of how to proceed.
No one was injured or killed by the fire, which was said to have been caused by an electrical short circuit. The Civil Defence was still on the scene dousing the small pockets of flames with sand and water when Gulf News visited the market.
“It was the worst fire I have ever seen. It started at around 5.30pm on Saturday. Everyone was praying in the mosque so no one saw it until it had already engulfed the first shop,” Shahin Ahmad, a Bangladeshi who works for a plant nursery at the market, said.
“We believe the fire erupted after the display board for a carpet shop short circuited,” he said. “It was right beside the petrol station. The attendants ran out after it spread and the entire market was evacuated by firefighters. Thankfully, the wind blew it away from the petrol station. Who knows what could have happened if it spread to there.”
Ahmad said his plant nursery was right at the threshold of where the fire had been contained.
“I myself was hosing the plants and the canopy so it wouldn’t catch fire. This is all we have, if our shop was burnt then where do we go, what do we do?” he said. “The plants at the edge were burnt but, thankfully, it did not spread. The wind saved us.”
However, not all were as lucky.
Ali Khalil Al Qamish, owner of Al Qamish Heritage Establishment, said he was among the first to establish the Friday Market. “I lost more than Dh10 million worth of heritage goods to the fire,” he said. “When I first found out, my eyes welled up, I was in disbelief. It still aches to think all my goods are gone, and they were uninsured.”
“I’ve been here for 20 years,” Al Qamish said. “The market initially was just a place where we could come and sell crops, crafts, carpets, and other items. Before long, it became popular and more people came here and set up shops. On national holidays, we see thousands of people coming down from all over the emirates. You’d see more than 10km of parked cars.”
Al Qamish said four carpet shops, 11 vegetable stores, a juice bar and his heritage items store were affected by the fire.
“We’ve had other cases of fires erupting here before,” he said, “but nothing of this magnitude.”
Al Qamish said he hopes the Red Crescent will come to their aid.
“I hope they rebuild this market, just like they did Al Naif,” he said. “It is an important cultural hub here in Masafi and in the UAE. I hope they build it better than it was before, that would be something to look forward to. I hope they put more parking spaces and more toilets.”
Al Bustan, an Afghan who didn’t want to give his first name, owns more than 10 stores in the market with his two brothers and son. He said he lost more than Dh10 million worth of carpets and 40 passports to the fire.
According to the Civil Defence, the fire originated from one of the Al Bustan shops due to an electrical shortage.
“We had a big shop there, 60 metres by 70 metres in size. We were selling all kinds of rugs, including Persian and Turkish. High-quality stuff. We couldn’t salvage anything and nothing was insured. Insurance companies aren’t keen on insuring carpets,” he said.
Al Bustan said his workers’ accommodation was also right behind the store. It, too, was wrecked by the fire.
“Thankfully no one was harmed,” he said. “But we had more than 40 passports there, all eaten by the flames. I’ve been here for 30 years. Never have I seen anything like this happen. We plan on rebuilding just as soon as the municipality gives us the green light. For now, I need to rehouse my workers [all of whom are Afghan]. They lost their all their private possessions. To think all this damage and loss started with an electrical short circuit.”
