Fire spreads to 10 floors of Sharjah tower

SHARJAH // A fire spread to 10 floors of a residential tower under construction near Al Safeer Mall yesterday evening.

All of the workers at the site were safely evacuated when the fire broke out at about 6pm. It took firefighters about two hours to bring the blaze under control.

According to a construction worker at the site, the fire started on the first floor of the 21-storey Al Mansour Tower and spread 10 floors upwards.

A spokesman for Sharjah Civil Defence said a faulty electric circuit may have been the cause. An investigation has been launched.

Thick smoke covered most of the Al Khan area and could be seen from as far as Al Qusais in Dubai. Roads near the building were cordoned off, causing heavy traffic on Al Taawun Road and Al Ittihad Road.

ykakande@thenational.ae