Fire destroys Abu Dhabi apartment bloc; no fatalities reported

Onlookers said the blaze began in a textile shop on the ground floor of the apartment building at 11th Street and Airport Road and quickly spread.

German and Emirati firemen were at the scene of the blaze.

ABU DHABI // A seven-storey apartment building and several cars were destroyed by fire this afternoon. The building on Airport Road in the Karama Street area was home to 28 families all of whom are reported to have evacuated the building safely. Several parked cars were also caught in the blaze which some were worried would spread to the nearby petrol station. There were no reported casualties but a handful of residents were seen being helped out of the building and into ambulances. Although police could not confirm the cause of the fire, onlookers said it began in a textile shop on the ground floor and rapidly spread up through the building. @Email:[e-mail]