Civil Defence Department has pointed out that there are no fire alarm systems in the area. The Civil Defence Departments of Sharjah, Dubai and Ajman in collaboration with Sharjah police and Al Falah fire fighting Unit of UAE forces put out the fire which erupted yesterday at 4.30am at 10th Sharjah industrial area. The flames completely ravaged the National Paint company's stores, a cars spare part store including some chemical items and the Allaih store where wood had been stocked. The fire also damaged part of a labour camp and a mosque.

The labourers were admitted to Al Qasimi hospital, Kuwaiti hospital, Al Zahra, Khalifa Hospital in Ajman, Zuleikha hospital and Rashid Hospital in Dubai. Civil defence and UAE forces staff had a tough time fighting the fire and some of them who were affected by the heavy smoke were admitted to Al Qasimi and Kuwaiti hospitals. The material losses are estimated at millions of dirhams.

Colonel Gareeb Shaaban, Director of Sharjah Civil Defence who inspected the fire fighting operations in presence of Brigadier Saleh Al Moutwa, Director of Sharjah Police said that the operations room received information about the fire at 4:30am. The civil defence units in Siman, Al Mina and Mwaileh also rushed to the site and managed to bring the fire under control within an hour and half besides preventing spread of the fire to the surrounding areas.

Major Abdulla Al Dukhan, Director of Operations Department of Sharjah Police said that the owners of commercial and industrial buildings should take all necessary safety measures, especially factories storing chemicals, oil or wood.

He confirmed that the police patrols and police ambulances assisted in removing a number of injured to the hospitals and shifting inmates of the labour camp in the vicinity to safer places.

Mohammed Juma Masqouni, PRO of Al Qasimi hospital said that the injured labourers were brought to the hospital at 4:45am. The hospital called all doctors and nurses who rushed to the emergency section to treat the 26 labourers, 16 of whom were admitted and others discharged. He said the Sharjah Municipality and Civil defence should not give licence to any camp or building if they don't comply with the safety measures. He also stressed the need for special roads in labour camps for ambulance and Civil Defence vehicles to evacuate workers in emergencies and pointed out that had an alarm system been in place to give early warning about fire, the number of casualties would have been greatly minimised. 

Dr Naqueya Khan from Al Qasimi hospital said: ''We received 26 patient affected by thermal heat, some of them were admitted and others were given pain killers but will have to come to the hospital regular for daily dressing.'' The patients admitted suffered from 15-30 per cent burns which were second and third degree. Some of the injured may even need plastic surgery.

Dr Najm Thaqib Khan of Kuwaiti hospital said that the 29 injured were from Bangladesh and Pakistan and their age range was between 25-30. Eleven of them with 25-30 per cent burns were admitted to the hospital and their condition was stable. The others were discharged. There were cases of both flash burns due to heat and the flame burns.

The 22-year-old Bangladesh national Mohammed Ratan who suffered from back burns said that he and other 9 labourers who lived in the same room were taken by surprise when they saw the fire and ran towards the single door because there were no fire exits in the labour camp.

The 39-year-old Zafer Iqbal who works for Emirate Transport said that he lived in a room in the camp with other ten persons for three years. At 4 o'clock he opened the window and saw the flames and woke up his room mates who started screaming. They all ran out in their night clothes after putting on shoes leaving all other belongings behind to save their lives. He said they were all burnt in their backs due to the unbearable heat and many of them had their skins peeled off. All the labourers were asleep when the fire broke out and there was no fire alarm to alert them. He also criticised the Municipality for granting licence to such old buildings which lacked safety measures.

Said 35-year-old Barweez Amir Al Haq who is working as driver for Bushra company: ''I lived in the room with 12 other persons. We felt the heat and the smoke filled the rooms. We woke up and ran towards the only exit. He said the camp had 80 rooms and the rent of rooms varied between Dh100 and Dh1500."

A 38-year-old Bangladesh national said that he lived in the room with other 30 persons, he said we don't know the owner of the building but we use to give the rent to a Bangladesh man. He said many labourers from different companies were forced to live in such a camp which lack any facilities because their income is very low. He urged the concerned authorities to revise the labour living conditions.

The 35-year-old Pakistani national Rahmat Ali who is working for the National Paint company , said the store was totally burnt by the fire. He had been living in a room which was given to him by the company with his wife and two children since 12 years.

He said: "My wife awakened me after she heard the commotion outside. When we opened the window, we saw the flames and sparks filling the sky in addition to the heavy smoke. I held my 10 year old son Mohammed Hafeez and we ran followed by my 11 year old son and wife Yasmin. My sons and I were burnt on our backs while my wife was affected on her foot by the heat as the floor became very hot.''

Ahmed Saeed who is working in UAE Defence said that he was affected by smoke while he was trying to put out the fire.

''The deafening noise and inferno caught us by surprise early in the morning. All we did was to make a dash towards the single tiny exit,'' said Mohammed Badshah from Bangladesh after being admitted to Kuwaiti Hospital in Sharjah.

Grimacing with pain due to the burns he had received on his shoulders and back, he said, “The heat was intense and we were all running over each other. I could feel my back being seared but, my aim was to make a dash towards the door. I could see the huge flames licking up our small camp, and people running over each other in panic."

Expressing the same panic-struck sentiments, Armeed-ur-Rehman from Pakistan, who had also received severe burn injuries to his back, said that everybody was screaming and running to save himself. “We heard explosions and there was intense heat,” he said, explaining that the National Paint chemicals caught fire and then the wood pallets placed nearby were also engulfed.

Missions feign ignorance

DUBAI — The corresponding country missions of the Sharjah burn victims feigned ignorance of the incident till late yesterday evening until informed by Khaleej Times. The Indian, Pakistani and Bangladeshi consulates in Dubai promised to swing into action and following the report and also to inform the concerned associations to take action.

“We are unaware of any such situation because we have not been informed by any authority,” said an official from the Bangaleshi Consulate in Dubai.

A welfare officer from the Pakistan Consulate said the Pakistan Association would be contacted and all help offered to the victims. When contacted, the Indian Consulate had not received any information about the incident. Officials said that they would contact the relevant Sharjah association. - By a staff reporter