By Ramesh Mathew/Staff Reporter


Thanks to the quick response of the Civil Defence personnel, a fire in a mixed use complex housing 10 residential apartments and five business establishments in the Najma area was put out before it spread early yesterday.
The incident took place around 12.05am on Al Qaurdeeyan Street of the area, near the Chairmen Hotel.
Some passersby were the first to notice smoke emanating from behind a large tank that supplied water to the residents of the building.  In no time plumes of smoke were sighted and a grocer raised an alarm to wake up the inmates of the building.
One of the residents of the complex alerted the civil defence and switched off the main line that supplied electricity to the six-storied building. By this time the fire had started raging, creating panic in the area. The fire caused the water tank to burst, creating a loud sound as if there was an explosion.
Fire fighters reached the site in about 10 minutes and quenched the fire swiftly by spraying large quantities of water. Although some vehicles were parked in the parking area of the complex, no damage was caused.
Even though it was a public holiday,  five civil defence officials also reached the spot to supervise the operations.  
The Civil Defence team thanked those who alerted them and sought further co-operation from them.
Some of the residents in the neighbourhood have complained that unauthorised construction on the roof-top of some of the buildings in the area was posing a danger not only to those buildings but also to those nearby, especially during the ongoing hot weather conditions.