12 warehouses were gutted after a huge fire broke out in the industrial area 13 near National Paints, on Shaikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Road in Sharjah, on Monday.

Authorities initially stated that four warehouses were gutted in the blaze. But while firefighters were working to contain it, the fire spread to another warehouse which contained diesel containers. This discovery caused the fire to spread rapidly to other warehouses. Cooling operations are still underway.

The firefighter Sharjah Civil Defense managed to control the blaze which erupted in the furniture factory complex. The civil defense officials confirmed that there were no causalities.

 

Thick black smoke had billowed from the buildings, eyewitnesses said. The cause of the fire is still to be ascertained.

The fire erupted at 12pm and was controlled within two hours by firefighters from Samnan, Sajjah and Muwailih fire stations. Col. Sami Al Naqabi, Director General of Sharjah Civil Defense, said that the operation room received a call about the fire at 12pm and in five minutes firefighters from various police stations arrived at the site and started dousing the fire.

Due to strong winds, the fire spread quickly and gutted four warehouses with woods, foams and building materials in them. The blaze continued to rage, but the firefighters contained it in time and ensured it didn't reach the other warehouses in the complex.

The materials stored in the warehouses were flammable and caused thick smoke to engulf the entire area. The cooling operation started at 2.20pm and will continue for a few hours so that the fire doesn't re-erupt.

The site will then be handed over to the forensic experts to investigate the cause of the fire and estimate the magnitude of damage.

Col. Sami Al Naqabi urged owners of warehouses to follow fire safety and protection procedures to avoid loss of property and lives. He also added that the blaze caused millions of dirhams worth of damage.

Sharjah Civil Defense team can be seen battling the fire at the site.

Source: Khaleej Times