UAE: 5 injured in massive Ajman factory blaze

Five people were injured in the massive blaze that engulfed a lubricant factory in Ajman on Friday morning, the authorities confirmed.

Civil Defence teams from four emirates — including Dubai, Sharjah, and Umm Al Quwain — managed to put the fire under control in seven minutes, with emergency response teams evacuating residents in surrounding areas.

National ambulances attended to the injuries of the five people on the site, before rushing them to the Sheikh Khalifa Hospital. Four people were moderately injured and one suffered a minor injury.

The Ajman authorities said the early-morning blaze gutted the entire factory, a printing press, a warehouse for ready-made clothes, and nine commercial stores.

Photos of the blaze's aftermath also showed charred facades of residential buildings, as well as burnt vehicles.

There were 39 cars parked next to factory which were destroyed, the authorities said.

Maj-Gen Sheikh Sultan bin Abdullah Al Nuaimi, Commander-in-Chief of the Ajman Police, said they received a report about the fire in the emirate's New Industrial Area at 3.15am.

Specialised teams began evacuating and fighting the fire. The fire spread due to an oil leak, and reached neighbouring buildings.

Considering the scale of the blaze, support was requested from fire stations in neighbouring emirates Dubai, Sharjah, Umm Al Quwain and Ajman.

The Union Electricity and Water Company, the Municipality and Planning Department, and the Red Crescent also sent emergency response teams.