Port Khalid reopens after fire

After a seven-hour closure on Saturday after a major fire, shipping has resumed at Sharjah’s Port Khalid, police and port authorities said yesterday.

Port Khalid was closed for most of the day on Saturday while emergency crews battled overnight to put out the blaze that broke out around 11.22 p.m. on Friday. Activity at the port did not stop except for a short period of not more than seven hours to facilitate the security forces bringing in the necessary fire-extinguishing equipment, said Rashed Al-Leem, director general of Sharjah’s Hamiriyah Ports, Customs and Duty Free Zone.

UAE Interior Minister Lt. Gen. Saif ibn Zayed Al-Nahayan, who visited the site on Saturday evening, applauded the emergency services for getting the fire under control before it spread to other areas of the port. The minister, who was inspecting the scene of the blaze, called for measures to protect vital premises against such hazards.

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