Disaster averted as another fire breaks out in Abu Dhabi souq

Firemen battled for more than two hours to prevent a fresh disaster at Abu Dhabi's old market yesterday after another fire raged close to a petrol station, less than 100 meters from its gutted western flank.

The fire raged at noon at a store above a home appliances shop in the middle of the souq and threatened other shops and the nearby petrol station before it was put out.

Five fire engines poured foam and water on the blaze as dozens of police cars cordoned off the market and blocked streets leading to the souq. A helicopter hovered above the sprawling bazaar in case of emergency.

Authorities said the fire was apparently caused by a short circuit as was the case in a bigger blaze that destroyed more than 80 nearby shops in February. "Our preliminary assessments are that a short circuit has caused this fire," Major General Mohammed Kardous Al Amiri, Civil Defence's Director General, told Gulf News.

"This is because of improper storage and negligence by the owners. We have warned them many times to be careful and to stop being negligent, but they do not heed our warnings. I think today we succeeded in preventing a disaster as the fire could have swept to other shops and to that petrol station."

Amiri said civic authorities should hasten plans to demolish the souq to prevent another disaster and urged operators of the petrol pump to move it out of that area.

Yesterday's fire caused only material damage but Civil Defence officials said it showed that the souk is no longer a safe place given its old buildings, defective design and lack of maintenance of its electric and water connections.

"I know there are plans to remove this souq later this year and I think they should speed up these plans," said a Civil Defence official at the scene.

"It has become a dangerous place as the risks of more fires and the collapse of buildings are high."

Although the fire was extinguished at around 3pm, fire engines sprayed water on the damaged shop while the surrounding area was cordoned off till evening. Major General Sheikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Interior, rushed to the scene to supervise the rescue operation.

Just 100 metres away, mountains of garbage and ash were still lying in the gutted part of the souq. Shop owners nearby said the pile of garbage could become a source of serious disease.

Municipal officials said there were no plans to remove the dirt before demolition work begins and advised dealers and customers to stay off the area.