Twelve killed and 24 injured in UAE car-fire accidents in 2012

Twelve people were killed and 24 injured by fires in vehicles across the UAE during 2012 - a decrease of 27 per cent on the previous year.

"This is a notable decrease in the number of fatalities and injuries resulting from car-fire accidents," Maj Gen Rashid Al Matrooshi, deputy commander-in-chief of Civil Defence, told The National's Arabic-language sister paper, Al Ittihad.

He said that most of the fires were a result of crashes, but that other causes included poor maintenance causing engines to overheat, failure to shut the tank cap leaving the fuel exposed to high temperatures, and people souping up their vehicles with speed boosters.

Maj Gen Al Matrooshi attributed the decrease in fires to the Interior Ministry's awareness campaigns and community outreach programmes.

newsdesk@thenational.ae