Peter Alagos
In a major blaze that broke out in Doha for the second consecutive Friday, the warehouse of a leading soft drink brand was burned down on Street Number 2 of the Industrial Area yesterday evening.
There were no casualties.
The blaze, first spotted around 5.45pm, was brought under control within an hour by firefighters from the Civil Defence. But smoke was still pouring out around 7.45pm.
Last Friday, a curtain showroom near the Decoration Signal along the Salwa Road was destroyed in a fire. The owner claimed a loss of at least QR1.5mn.
The warehouse that caught fire yesterday was used to stock products from a leading soft drink company.
Kenyan national Danson Karinga, one of the security persons of the Gulf Publishing and Printing Company press, located across the warehouse, told Gulf Times that he was alarmed after noticing thick black smoke billowing around 5.45pm.
Five to 10 minutes after flames had erupted from the building, two police patrol cars were on the scene, followed by Civil Defence vehicles, personnel and ambulances.
Karinga, along with colleagues from European Security, Diaa Gamal Mohamed Abdelhafez and chief security Maamer Salaimi, assisted the police in trying to cordon off the area to protect passersby and onlookers.
“A huge crowd had gathered immediately just outside the warehouse. We helped the police seal off the area to avoid anyone getting hurt. There might be gas tanks or other flammable materials inside the compound,” he said.
Police had diverted traffic going towards Street Number 2 where the warehouse was located.
Based on Karinga’s estimate, at least six ambulances and eight fire trucks responded to the scene. The firefighters were also assisted by more than 10 private trucks supplying drinking water in trying to control the blaze.
“I was impressed with the way the authorities had responded to the incident. They were able to deploy the fire trucks to the area in no time.”
Karinga said if authorities had not responded immediately, the fire could have spread easily to nearby facilities.
Last Friday’s fire at Al Shark Exhibition along Salwa Road had destroyed the ground floor of the three-storey building that housed the company’s showroom and office space in the mezzanine area, which was also used as a workshop for upholstery projects.
The fire had also destroyed another office housed inside the building and damaged the nearby Studio Qatar.
