SHARJAH // A warehouse worker died and a fireman was injured in a massive blaze that engulfed 20 buildings in Sharjah Industrial Area 13.
The fire on Monday night destroyed warehouses containing furniture, clothing, oil, perfumes, scrap metal, vehicle spare parts, iron sheets and aluminium.
Firefighters from Sharjah, Ajman, Dubai and Umm Al Quwain were called to deal with it.
“The blaze has been on and off from last night especially because of the strong winds that are coming and going,” Col Khaled bin Kanoun, acting director general of Sharjah Civil Defence, said on Tuesday.
“The winds also led to the fire spreading to more warehouses. But at present it’s mostly contained and we are undertaking a cooling process.”
The blaze started in a scrap warehouse at about 9pm. The firefighter was injured at about 11pm and the body of the victim was found just after midnight.
The cause of the blaze is not known. Col bin Kanoun said police CID would start investigations once it was completely extinguished.
It was the first large-scale industrial fire in Sharjah this year. There have been numerous blazes in recent years, especially in the hot summer season.
ykakande@thenational.ae
