Fire causes 24 casualties [Archives:2007/1048/Local News]

SANA'A, May 5 ) A fire broke out in the Al-Aulaki scrap market at 12.30 pm last Thursday in Sana'a, lasting for four hours and causing 24 injuries, ranging between severe to moderate, and a capital loss estimated at over 50 million Riyals.

Witnesses blame a gas stove for causing the fire, adding that everyday at 12 noon the power is shutdown from the market for one hour, and therefore it is impossible for the fire to be caused by an electrical short-circuit, contradicting other reports blaming the fire on an electric short-circuit.

The Market, located in one of the most populous zone in the city, Al-Safia, in the east of Sana'a, was home for over 70 retailers who specialized in trading furniture and electrical equipment, including a second-hand market for such items.

According to eyewitnesses' testimonies, firefighting crews were not been able to control the fire inside the market. Further, the shop owners, who lost their businesses, have said that the civil defense did not control the situation, which initially was confined to one store on the outskirts of the market. The owner of Kholani's shop for heavy equipment said that “it was possible to control the fire earlier because it was started in one shop then it continued to ignite and spread to other shops. “”. He also indicated that the loss may potentially reach 150 million Riyals.

Director of Civil Defense Affairs Brigadier General Abdul Karim Albekhitti said