Fire At Airport Road Awafi Furniture Part 5

Scores of people were brought to the Abu Dhabi Social Support Centre of the Ministry of the Interior after they narrowly escaped a fire that almost gutted a eight-storeyed building.

The fire completely destroyed 10 cars parked in front of the building along Airport Road.

The incident happened at 3.15pm on Saturday.

No one was reported seriously injured. But, first aid was given to many who suffered smoke inhalation.

The victims, who were occupants of the 28 flats in the eight-storeyed building, were running towards the lone entrance and exit door of the building, without any belongings.

Officials from the Police and the Ministry of the Interior distributed food, fruits and drinks to the victims.

The police are still investigating the cause of the fire while the Civil Defence personnel continued their operation at the time of filing this report. Three Civil Defence divisions from Al Butina, Khalifa and Al Falah have responded to the call.

The police cordoned off the area and closed the roads to the direction of Dubai where the fire broke out.

The quick intervention of the Emergency Technical Rescue and the Emergency Public Safety Departments and the Civil Defence prevented the fire from totally razing the building to the ground and from escalating to an ADNOC petrol station located less than 100 metres from the building on fire.

An employee of the petrol station, who requested anonymity, told that he immediately disconnected the electricity in the ADNOC petrol station when he saw the fire in the building nearby.

Eyewitnesses of the incident told that the fire started with sparks from electrical sockets and engulfed the carpets and pieces of the furniture displayed in a furniture shop on the ground floor of the building.

"All occupants rushed to the main door and forgot to use the fire exits as they ran in panic. Police arrived within 15 minutes followed by the Civil Defence personnel," he said.

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• Fire
• Abu Dhabi
• Awafi
• Furniture
• Airport Road
• Police
• Cars