Fire broke out in an old and small compound in Doha's Najma area, creating panic among the residents of the neighbourhood. No one was hurt. The incident was reported around 10.50am.

There was a huge pile up of old goods, mainly discarded furniture, old cycles, cycle tyres and carpets on the site where the fire broke out. Burning tyres produced plumes of thick black smoke that enveloped the surroundings for a while.

Inquiries made in the area found there was a similar fire in the same compound less than a year ago. That occurred in the wee hours when the residents were fast asleep.

Some of the neighbours said the goods destroyed in the fire belonged to the occupants of a few portacabin accommodations in the neighbourhood who were evicted by the local municipal authorities in the wake of the previous fire. They had reportedly stocked the old goods in the compound.

Soon after the fire broke out, civil defence personnel arrived in big numbers to put out the flames and in less than 20 minutes the whole exercise was completed.

Children rescued

Two school children, trapped in an apartment located in an adjoining building of the compound where the fire broke out, were rescued by civil defence personnel who broke open the door with the help of a neighbour.

When thick black smoke enveloped the area and it became difficult for people to move into the area, someone noticed the children watching helplessly through one of the windows of their first floor flat.

A neighbouring grocer alerted the civil defence personnel and together they broke the door to rescue the children. Their father, who was away at work, was immediately summoned by the civil defence personnel and told to ensure such a situation was not repeated.

It is learnt that both the parents had gone out for work in the morning, leaving the key of the main door at a place in their drawing room inaccessible to the younger child as he was in the habit of rushing out of home too often to buy toffees from a grocery.

However, the elder child had apparently no clue yesterday as to where the key was kept.