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Dh 5 million up in smoke

DUBAI — Two warehouses in Al Quoz Industrial Area were gutted in a blaze that broke out around 7.20am, but Civil Defence personnel prevented the fire from spreading to adjoining warehouses after battling with it for a while.

The two warehouses, Hamad and Abdulla International warehouses, are owned by Hamad Humeid Al Shamsi.

The Civil Defence Operations Room received a call from the warehouse employees at 7.20am that a fire had broken out in one of the stores. Dubai Civil Defence vehicles from Jumeirah, Al Qouz and Al Satwa as well as an ambulance from Al Hamriya rushed to the spot.

According to Zubair Meira Zahid, a foreman, five employees reported for duty at 7am and they heard the fire alarm at 7.20am.

"We tried to control the fire which erupted in store no 3 by using the fire extinguisher, but the fire raged on feeding on plastic toys. We subsequently called the civil defence which arrived within 10-15 minutes," he said, adding that four containers of toys had arrived on Thursday from China and Malaysia.

The civil defence team, led by First Captain Ahmed Kemedis, managed to bring the fire under control by 8.15 am, but not before both the stores were gutted. They, however, prevented the fire from spreading to other warehouses in the neighbourhood. Smoke billowed out of the warehouses even at 2pm, after the civil defence had put out the fire. The police will investigate the cause of fire.

Hamad Al Shamsi said the total loss incurred in the fire would be in the region of Dh5 million. He praised the efforts of the civil defence to bring the fire under control quickly.