ABU DHABI // Workers at the Mina fish market yesterday described the chaotic scenes when a fuel tank on a fishing boat exploded, sparking a fire that burnt five vessels and left four men in hospital.
"We saw people in the water screaming. Two of them were pulled out and looked hurt," said Maher, a Jordanian who works at a nearby restaurant.
"It was hard to tell how hurt they were because their blood had mixed with the water."
He rushed out see what had happened when he heard the explosion just before 8pm on Sunday.
"The fire was big but no one was scared," Maher said. "We all wanted to know what happened."
Witnesses said the explosion occurred as one of the five fishing boats was refuelling at the petrol station near the market.
The fire spread to four other vessels before it could be contained.
Four men, believed to be from Kerala, were taken to hospital after the force of the blast threw them into the water.
All of the boats involved were small, two-man vessels measuring about 15ft.
Many fishermen were thankful that the fire did not spread to the nearby dhows on which many of them live.
"We were worried that the fire would spread to our dhows," said one. "They would have set alight even quicker but luckily the boats were not close enough for the fire to spread."
The owner of a nearby shop said that firefighters needed about 15 minutes to control the fire after arriving at the scene about 10 minutes after the explosion.
Col Mohammed Al Nuaimi, the general manager of Abu Dhabi Civil Defence, said the fire was reported at 7.55pm.
"We moved instantly, Civil Defence in Mina and Mina Road, and an ambulance," Col Al Nuaimi said. "We worked together to control the fire that had spread in five fishing boats, all stationary on the Mina port."
He stressed the importance of fire-prevention measures and regular maintenance for boat owners, and said police were still investigating what caused the fuel tank to explode.
Yesterday, three police cars were at the scene, which was surrounded by tape. Officers were questioning boat owners and refused to comment.
The burnt-out fishing boats had not been moved.
