Shops destroyed in Al Ghuwair market fire

Several shops were gutted when fire erupted at the Al Ghuwair market in the Rolla area in Sharjah early yesterday. The fire broke out around 3am and the police were informed by residents of the building, a Sharjah Civil Defence official told Gulf News. "No one was injured in the incident, but the damage is expected to be very high as the contents of many of these shops are completely burnt," said the official. Authorities are investigating the incident and have yet to determine the cause of the fire. The shops, some of which have been located there for years, include those that sold textiles, accessories and shoes. Partially affected "Around 10 to 15 shops caught fire. Some of them were fully gutted while a few were partially affected," Mohammad Sharif, an Indian shopkeeper in the locality, said. The shopkeepers whose shops were destroyed mostly come from India and Pakistan, said Sharif, who has been living in the area for 21 years. Gafour, whose shop was partially gutted and who lives in the building next to his shop, said that he became aware of the fire after hearing the chaos downstairs. The market is one of the city's busiest areas and has been well known for decades by residents as the best place to buy textiles for curtains and garments. — With additional inputs from Aghaddir Ali, Staff Reporter