
Sharjah fire LIVE updates: As many as seven people were injured in a massive fire that broke out at a residential building in Al Nahda in Sharjah late on Tuesday. While these seven were treated at the site, five others were rushed to a hospital after they complained of suffocation, according to Khaleej Times.
The fire erupted on the tenth floor of the Abbco Tower at 9.04 pm, Colonel Sami Al Naqbi, Director-General of Sharjah Civil Defence, told Khaleej Times. According to eyewitness accounts, the fire erupted in the building located next to the Taj Bangalore restaurant. The cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained.
The high-rise has 47 floors, excluding parking, according to a report by the Gulf News. The fire was doused and no casualties have been reported. Authorities had evacuated residents of the building and from the neighbouring high-rises, the report said.
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WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT – Several people injured after a fire breaks out at a residential tower in Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates https://t.co/L9TyJInVhc pic.twitter.com/jKtTFIrlmZ
— Reuters (@Reuters) May 6, 2020
The fire also damaged a number of cars parked in the area as it spread due to strong winds. More than 250 families were evacuated from the building, which was constructed in 2006.
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It is also not clear whether there are any Indians residing in the residential tower. A statement from the Indian Embassy in UAE is awaited.
Abbco Tower in #AlNahda, #sharjah. Near Taj Bangalore restaurant. Even as firefighters from Sharjah Civil Defence battle the blaze, the #fire is still raging and nearby towers are at risk. Residents evacuated.
Video: Fire breaks out in Sharjah building https://t.co/8f4ND1H1z8 pic.twitter.com/j7ECnVteM7— Vicky Kapur (@vickykapur) May 5, 2020
Massive Fire 🔥 at residential tower in Sharjah. It’s a 50 storey tower residing mostly by Indians. pic.twitter.com/s0wxHO5S0g
— Ravi Mishra (@G33kBoyRavi) May 5, 2020
Sharjah fire: Fire engines and ambulances rushed to the scene and were working to put out the blaze.
Details…https://t.co/ECgPVKKWVk
Video by Shihab/Khaleej Times pic.twitter.com/tlxjZe8rJM
— Khaleej Times (@khaleejtimes) May 5, 2020
It’s a residential building in Al Nahda #Sharjah. Residents of the tower and those in nearby buildings are out. Firefighters from Sharjah Civil Defence are on the site and trying to contain the massive blaze. Hope and pray that everyone is #safe https://t.co/8f4ND1H1z8 pic.twitter.com/YyYr5H5bBH
— Vicky Kapur (@vickykapur) May 5, 2020
Images of the Sharjah tower in flames are reminiscent of the blaze in Grenfell Tower in 2017. Fire had engulfed the 24-storey high-rise block of apartments in central London on, killing at least six people and injuring 74.