Goods worth BD40,000 ($105,480) were destroyed when a chain of shops in West Eker, Bahrain went up in smoke early yesterday (November 6) morning.

Lit by a spark from a faulty air conditioning unit, the fire was fed by the inventory of flammable goods at Al Jabriya Cold Store and whipped into a frenzy by strong winds, said a report in the Gulf Daily News (GDN), our sister publication.

By the time firemen doused the flames two hours later, much of the shop's interior had been gutted and the remaining stock was badly damaged.

"The cold store occupies three shop-fronts," police sources told the GDN.

"Two shops were used for the cold store, while the third one was converted into a storeroom and was used to store items.

"The first is 80 per cent damaged, the second 40 per cent and the third 10 per cent.

"It happened due to a short circuit in an air conditioning unit and spread quickly as there were many flammable items."

Cooking oil, cardboard boxes, rolls of paper, tissue boxes, batteries, bulbs and wooden pallets were all consumed by the flames.

"Losses are still not confirmed but it is estimated that items worth thousands of dinars were destroyed," said Civil Defence sources.

"Two fire engines and eight firemen were dispatched to the scene after the control room received the call.

"Thick, black smoke could be seen in the sky and the fire spread quickly.

"It is thought that a short circuit was the cause of the fire, but a probe had been launched to get further details. No injuries have been reported but the shop suffered severe damages."

No one from Al Jabriya Cold Store, which is believed to be owned by a member of the Ruling Family, was available for comment yesterday. - TradeArabia News Service