Exploding lubricant tank caused fatal Sharjah blaze

31 October 2007

Sharjah: A fire that killed five workers started when a tank containing 1,200 to 1,500 gallons of lubricant exploded, police said.

The blaze broke out on Monday at a lubricant factory. Police said two workers died on the spot and the others died a few hours later of burns.

The bodies of the two workers were discovered a few hours after the fire had been extinguished. Police said that the bodies were found under one of the exploded oil tanks when firefighters were cooling the site late in the night.

Dr Saqer Al Malla, head of the plastic surgery section at Al Qasimi hospital, told Gulf News: "We were not told about how many people were injured. At the beginning we received two workers who were already dead.

"They were totally burned and could not be identified. Later we received other three workers who suffered 100 per cent burns," he said.

He said that one of the workers died a few hours later and the other two died yesterday.

He said Al Kuwaiti hospital received three workers who sustained moderate injuries and they were treated and discharged. Four workers were also admitted to Al Qasimi hospital with moderate burns.

"Another worker who is in our hospital is suffering from broken bones because he tried to escape the fire by breaking the glass of the window and jumping."

Some other workers were admitted to the Iranian Hospital in Dubai.

Investigating cause

Police said they are investigating the cause of the fire.

Police said the fire started at 4.44pm in the Al Sharq lubricant company located in Industrial Area No 13 near Al Shulla Private School when one oil tank containing 1,200 to 1,500 gallons of lubricant exploded.

Soon other tanks also exploded. The blaze spread to a nearby paper factory and a glass factory and was threatening a nearby labour accommodation.

Civil defence teams from Sharjah, Dubai and Ajman fought the fire which raged for more than seven hours into the night. Thick smoke enveloped the area.

Police said that seven vehicles were gutted.

Police said the fire destroyed three factories, but losses have not been estimated but said they could be millions of dirhams.