The recent incident in which popular Qatari artiste Hilal Mohamed Hilal died in a blaze at a farmhouse in Al Shahaniya has raised concerns among members of the local community over fire safety, Arabic daily Arrayah has reported.
Several farm owners argued that the blaze could have spread to neighbouring farms and that such fires could break out “any time”. They attributed their fears to a number of factors, including the presence of wooden rooms, tents and rooms built with inflammable materials, according to the report.
Expressing concern, some of the farm owners have raised the issue of the Ministry of Environment not allowing them to use bricks for building workers’ rooms and that the farms have no extensions of water lines, which makes it difficult to bring a fire under control quickly, the report adds.
Central Municipal Council member Mohamed al-Hajiri has said the problems faced by the farmhouses are not limited to building materials alone, but also include factors such as lack of water and electricity, according to the report. He adds that the absence of adequate distance between farms increases the chances of a fire spreading rapidly.
Abdullah Eisa al-Nuaimi, acting director of the Environment Protection Department, has said an urgent meeting will be held with the Civil Defence to study the reasons behind the fire at Al Shahaniya, adding that suitable measures have to be implemented to prevent such incidents.
