Fire guts 10-storey building in Sharjah

SHARJAH // Two Arab women were hospitalised after inhaling thick smoke from a fire that gutted their 10-storey building in Al Qasimiya in Sharjah.

The fire was reported to have started at around 2.30pm, leading to about 70 families being evacuated from the building, said Lt Waleed Rashid a fire fighter with Sharjah civil defence's Samnan station, which helped tackle the blaze.

"The injured women were pulled out of their apartments, given first aid on the scene, and then carried to the hospital," said Lt Rashid.

Last year, a big fire gutted two residential towers, displacing hundreds of families.

Today's fire is believed to have started in an apartment on the second floor, before spreading. The contents of several apartments were completely destroyed.

"Our most concern was about the safety of women and children. Most of them had just returned back from school," said Lt Rashid.

The exact cause of the fire was still being investigated yesterday, with police CID and forensic experts looking at the scene.

Tenants living on other floors were allowed to re-enter their flats later in the day, some of which had no electricity.