Dubai printing plant razed in massive fire

Blaze started in a printing press warehouse close to Al Kabayel department store in Muraqqabat

Dubai civil defence officers trying to control the fire which broke out in the warehouses behind Al Kabayel Discount Centre in Deira Dubai on 25 August,2021. Pawan Singh/The National

Smoke billows from the warehouses behind Al Kabayel Discount Centre in Deira. Pawan Singh/The National

Fire engines attend the scene of the fire in Deira. Pawan Singh/The National

The warehouse in Deira that caught fire on Wednesday. Pawan Singh/The National

Smoke is seen rising from behind the Kabayel discount shopping centre in Muraqqabat, Deira

Smoke seen over rooftops of Deira district. Thoraya Abdullahi / The National

Crews tackle the fire inside the plastic and paper factory

A warehouse that stored printing materials and plastic burned to the ground on Wednesday, sending acrid chemical smoke billowing into the sky.

The depot in Muraqqabat, Deira, was in ruins after the four-hour fire, which was reported at about 1pm.

Dubai Civil Defence said all occupants of the business, a printing company, escaped the building safely before the flames took hold. The blaze briefly caused traffic congestion, which has since cleared.

The building was “stacked with highly flammable plastics, [and] completely burned down”, a statement from civil defence said.

“At 2.31pm, the fire was brought under control, with no injuries or deaths reported. At 4.54pm, the cooling operations began, before the site was handed over to authorities in determine the cause of fire.”

This month, crews fought a major blaze at a plastic factory in Jebel Ali. The blaze gutted the building and burned into the night.

Jebel Ali plastic factory fire — in pictures