Worker killed in Sharjah warehouse blaze
Sharjah Police investigate mysterious circumstances surrounding death of labourer
A huge fire that gutted a warehouse in Sharjah on Saturday was found to have killed a worker, civil defence officials have said.
The victim is believed to have suffocated while sleeping in the warehouse when the fire broke out at around 5:30am. Five other men were also asleep in the warehouse at the time, but managed to escape to safety before the fire intensified.
“We are still trying to find out if it is true that the man was sleeping inside the warehouse since the company has staff accommodation quarters nearby,” said Captain Mansour Al Suwaidi, director of Fire Services at Sharjah Civil Defence, to 7Days, a Dubai based newspaper.
The warehouse was situated in Industrial Area 6 of Sharjah and fire fighting sources said that it took eight hours to bring the blaze under control. The building was used to store freezers, compressors and water coolers.
A fire fighter told the newspaper that he suspected oil lubricants were also being stored in the warehouse, which may have contributed to the spread of the blaze.
One of the workers at the site, Shafiq Kalam, said that he heard a loud explosion and saw thick smoke coming from the warehouse roof.
“The fire spread rapidly and then I saw my fellow workers running from the warehouse, saying that one person was still trapped inside. However, by the time the fire-fighters had arrived, he was dead.”
No other injuries were reported, Sharjah Police said.
The investigation continues.
