Major fire at Dubai port destroys scores of vessels
Fire brigades extinguished a major blaze on Monday afternoon at the old port of the Dubai creek, which destroyed a number of yachts and wooden transport ships, Gulf news reported.
The fire broke out at about 3:00 p.m. local time (1100 GMT), painting the sky over the old district of Dubai-Deira in black.
Reports did not mention any human fatalities during the fire.
The Dubai creek harbor is the smallest port for private yachts, Arabic sightseeing ships called Dhows and wooden transport vessels which mainly conduct maritime trade between Dubai and Iran and Somalia.
The reports did not say what caused the fire which broke out on two yachts and quickly spread to adjacent ships due to wind and summer heat.
The nearby Baniyas road, which harbors a number of five-star hotels and local banks, was partially closed, as Dubai police urged drivers to avoid the area until further notice.
A total of five fire stations from across Dubai were involved in fighting the blaze whose black smoke could be seen as far as from Dubai international airport.
