Ras Al Khaimah - Water and foam were used in putting out the fire and cooling it down.
Published: Wed 28 Nov 2018, 2:27 PM
Updated: Wed 28 Nov 2018, 5:53 PM
Ten residents trapped in a massive fire that raged through a residential building were rescued by the civil defence teams in the emirate of Ras Al Khaimah.
The blaze broke out in a building's apartment located in the Al Uraibi area, according to RAK civil defence sources.
"The apartment was totally gutted in the fire. The timely intervention of the civil defence teams prevented the flames from spreading to nearby apartments."
Water and foam were used in putting out the fire and cooling it down, they added.
"The huge fire started in the kitchen of the three-room apartment, and then spread to all the other rooms, including the toilets, and the hall."
Alerted about the blaze, the central operations room of the RAK Police immediately dispatched firefighters, paramedics, ambulances and paramedics.
"The firefighters first cordoned off the entire building and evacuated eight residents through the emergency exit." Later, two more people were rescued.
No human casualties were reported in the fire, they pointed out. Investigations are underway to ascertain the reason behind the blaze.
Right extinguishing agent must be used
The civil defence authorities said that fire extinguishers are mostly used in putting out small fires, but "an appropriate extinguishing agent must be used".
Some have water or foam under stored pressure, while some have a dry chemical formulated to prevent the combustion reaction, they explained.
"Some others have carbon dioxide to douse a fire by displacing oxygen, while some have a halogenated agent."
Firefighters are trained to select an appropriate extinguishing agent and use it safely and efficiently, they underlined.
"However, they sometimes use more than one type of fire extinguishing agent to control a blaze."
They urged the public to avoid entering fire sites to salvage any of their belongings, no matter how precious they are.
"Not only flames but also heavy smoke poses a grave risk to people's life, and hence no one but professional well-trained firefighters can handle these fires."
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