A major fire that started from the warehouse complex of Adamallys Ship Chandlers located in the Al Ramool area near Dubai International Airport on Friday afternoon was successfully stopped from spreading to neighbouring warehouses and packaging companies, such as the adjacent plywood storage warehouse next to it.
The Dubai Civil Defence team worked for more than six hours to douse the fire that is believed to have started from one of the warehouses inside the locked complex which contained fire-sensitive materials like marine cables, clothes, high pressure cleaners, marine chemicals and lubricants, nylon and polyester ropes used for the ship repair, industrial shoes and boots, packaging materials and asbestos. The fire occurred in an area that has a high voltage overhead power line.
Irfan Ghulam Hussain, Director, of Adamallys Ship Chandlers, said the company was closed for Friday and the fire gutted only one of the 12 warehouses in the complex that stored everything from food to marine products.
“The warehouses are having goods that we bought for resale to various ships. About 130 employees work in our company, but no one was inside the complex when the fire started. No one has been affected by the fire. Only one warehouse out of fourteen was affected by fire,” he said. Irfan added that the warehouses and company assets are insured. However, he did not reveal the losses from the fire.
Ambulance teams were deployed in the roads surrounding the warehouse and traffic through the artery road was also suspended for smooth fire fighting operation.
Dubai Electricity and Water Authority disconnected power from the warehouse complex and civil defence personnel used several thousand gallons of water before bringing the fire under control. “It started as a small fire after 4pm on Friday and the company’s main gate was locked. The Civil Defence team broke open the lock and entered the warehouse from where fire was spreading to other areas. First time they left the scene believing that the fire was under control.
“A few minutes later, fire erupted again stronger than the previous one and spread quickly. It took more than six hours to bring it under control,” said an eye witnesses.
The cause of fire is not known. Dubai Civil Defence has been running a safety campaign in the warehousing areas about how to work safely in warehouses and the ways to help fire fighting.
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