Sharjah: Two warehouses went up in flames in Sharjah Industrial Area No.13 in a massive fire that lasted for eight hours from late on Wednesday night till early Thursday morning.
Brigadier Abdullah Al Suwaidi, Director-General of Sharjah Civil Defence Department, told Gulf News that the blaze broke out at the warehouse complex around 10 pm.
Thick, black smoke could be seen billowing from the ruins overnight on Wednesday as firefighters from Sharjah, Dubai, Ajman as well as Sharjah Municipality water tankers responded to battle the flames.
They worked for eight hours to bring the fire under control. The firefighting operation ended on Thursday at around 6.30am, said the official.
Brig. Al Suwaidi described the fire as "fierce" as the two warehouses contained flammable materials.
The gutted warehouses contained stationary, gas lighters and antiques, said the official.
Firefighters bravely battled the flames to prevent it from spreading to nearby warehouses and shops.
Brig. Al Suwaidi said, however, that the number of fire incidents in the industrial area has decreased over the past period due to heightened safety inspections by their teams.
The owner of the two gutted warehouses had been cited for violating safety rules in storing such goods, Brigadier Al Suwaidi said.
No casualties were reported.
Authorities are conducting a probe to establish the cause of the fire and the
site has been handed over to forensic experts.
Brig. Al Suwaidi pointed out that the industrial area lacked connection to a fire hydrant network, which forces them to seek help from neighbouring emirates when such incidents happen. He also called upon the concerned authorities to find a solution for this “problem”.
