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Massive fire destroys eight old houses in Al Ghuwair souq area

SHARJAH — A massive fire destroyed eight dilapidated houses housing Asian bachelor workers in Al Ghuwair souq area yesterday morning. The houses were being used as warehouses for storing cardboards and plastic materials.

The fire completely destroyed the houses and the belongings of the bachelors who fled the place to avoid questioning, police sources said. A fire had destroyed four old houses in the same area last month.

No casualties have been reported and the cause of the fire is not yet known.

The fire erupted around 8.30am during peak business hours making it an arduous task for the Civil Defence firefighters to carry out their job.

All shops and commercial establishments in the area were evacuated, as thick smoke emanated from the houses made of wood. All of a sudden, the cooking gas cylinders kept in the houses exploded one after another.

The Anjad patrol and ambulance as well as Civil Defence teams cordoned off the area. It took nearly two hours to put out the fire, and the cooling operations continued for a further two hours.

The firefighters succeeded in preventing the fire from spreading to the commercial areas in Al Ghuwair souq.

Speaking to Khaleej Times, Mohammed Abdullah Al Obad, Head of the Al Gharb police station, said the fire started in one of the old houses and spread to others. The houses were used by Asians to live as well as store plastic and cardboard materials and other items.

He said that while the fighters were busy putting out the fire, unknown persons set some other parts on fire and helped it to spread and destroy the eight houses which had been partitioned into 14 units.

The gas cylinder blasts and the materials, including wood, papers and plastic, stored in the houses aided the flames to spread and destroy all materials, including the personal belongings of the Asian workers.

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