Electrical fault sparked 60-car Dubai showroom blaze, report finds

Fire broke out in one dealership before tearing through nine others

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  Fire fighters battled a major blaze at a number of car showrooms in an industrial area in Ras Al Khor, Dubai. Pictures from Dubai Civil Defence

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  Fifty-five vehicles were damaged as the blaze tore through eight showrooms

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  No injuries were reported following the fire, the cause of which is under investigation

An electrical fault in a car started a huge fire that destroyed 60 vehicles in a Dubai showroom complex, an investigation has found.

The blaze broke out in one dealership before sweeping through another nine units in the Ras Al Khor facility.

No injuries were reported in the incident, which happened on September 28.

The cause of the fire was determined in a report issued by Dubai Police's fire section at the General Department of Forensic Science and Criminology.

“The blaze began in one car due to a malfunction in its main electrical circuit distribution unit,” said Capt Mohammed bin Abid, head of the fire department.

“Failing to leave enough space between the parked vehicles contributed to damaging this large number of cars in the fire,” he said.

He called for lessons to be learned about the potential risk of having rows of cars parked tightly together.

The emergency services were alerted shortly before 5.30am, with firefighters from Dubai Civil Defence's Nad Al Sheba station arriving quickly on the scene.

Teams from Al Qusais and Port Saeed stations were also sent.

“The blaze was brought under control within 38 minutes and no injuries happened,” Capt bin Abid said.

It was initially believed that 55 cars were gutted in the blaze, but the tally rose to 60 once a full count could be made.

“A number of recommendations have been submitted to relevant authorities to reconsider how vehicles are parked and the distances between them, in order to avoid such accidents in the future and limit the extent of any resulting damage,” Capt bin Abid said.