Maj-Gen. Abdulla Saif Al Shaafar, Under-Secretary of the Ministry of the Interior, said: “There was a very large amount of stored items, including inflammable material, at the site. It’s to their credit that the firefighters managed to control the fire in a relatively short time.”

The Eloc  warehouse and oil containers that were gutted in the fire belonged to a Sharjah businessman. ELOC sources said the warehouse was used to stock fuel, oil, equipment and machinery.

While investigations are on, normal activity has resumed on Port Khalid. According to officials, nine berths of the port were badly damaged. The fire also caused damage to several nearby buildings and cars in the area.

Speaking to Khaleej Times, Ghareeb Shabban, Director-general of Sharjah Civil Defence, said the civil department and police together managed to control the fire and bring the situation to normal within 22 hours of its eruption.