One of the emirate's famous landmarks on Khalid Lagoon which was gutted by fire on Friday night will be replaced with a brand new boat. It will be anchored at the same spot as the Sharjah Dhow Restaurant.
Police cordoned off the dhow entrance and block-ed access yesterday to the adjoining areas for investigations. The smell of burnt wood still hangs in the air.
Ali Al Rammah of the Dhow restaurant said the boat will replaced immediately after the conclusion of the investigations.
He added: It was not only a popular tourist spot, but also a favourite wedding reception venue of many UAE nationals and Arab expatriates.
Only a skeleton of the gutted boat can be seen. Every few minutes a car pulls up into the sand lot in front as curious people come to see what they had read in the morning papers.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation, but initial reports indicate that there was a leak in the cooking gas pipeline.
The traditional dhow-shaped restaurant could accommodate 250 people and there were 120 people eating their 'iftar' on the upper deck when the fire broke out.
Luckily, there were no injuries as the alert staff evacuated the customers quickly. The fire, investigators said, started around 6.10pm in the dhow's kitchen.
The dhow was anchored in 1988 and was inaugurated by His Highness Dr Sheikh Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah.
The two-deck Sharjah Dhow restaurant was not a cruise boat, but a stationary eating-place. It was part of the L'auberge group of restaurants.
It is not yet decided whether to purchase a ready-made dhow or to build one to specifications, says the manager. But he noted that more safety measures would be put in place. The new one will cost Dh3 million, Dh1 million more than the one gutted.
Meanwhile, the owner Zakaria Al Suwaidi plans to set up either an open restaurant on the sand lot in front, or a closed air-conditioned tent for diners. It will open on Monday.
None of the customers or the 20-member crew was injured. Another small boat was also gutted in the fire. However, Sharjah Civil Defence personnel acted swiftly and moved several other nearby boats to safety.
The dhow's remains has listed to one side and were slowly flooding.
Gulf News
