Doha
The Coast Guard managed to contain a fire that broke out at a wooden ship loaded with animal fodder at Doha port Saturday afternoon.
A joint operation to douse the blaze was launched as soon as the emergency service was alerted with a call to 999, sources said.
First to reach the site was the firefighting team of the General Directorate of Coasts and Border Security. They were followed by the Civil Defence personnel and the firemen of the Qatar Ports Management Company. All the vessels near the affected dhow were moved away to avoid any potential spread of the fire.
It was a tough struggle for the firefighters engaged in the operations as the cargo of dry fodder and the wooden boat were both highly inflammable. The wind also fanned the fire making their challenge more daunting, sources said.
However, the firemen were able to put out the fire in about four hours. There were no injuries reported from the incident. The fire caused a thick cloud of smoke that could be seen from a distance .
The gutted boat "Al-Hadi" was used to ferry goods to and from Iran, a source said, adding it was about 28 metres long and 8 metres wide. The dhow was built in 1993 and it was carrying fodder from Bushehr Port in Iran to Doha.
Investigations are underway to determine the cause of the fire.
