An investigation is underway after a fire gutted part of Bahrain’s Motor City showroom in Sitra yesterday, reportedly causing around BD100,000 ($265,956.92) of damage.

Eleven Volvo cars were destroyed in the blaze, which broke out at around 3am, along with the company's offices on the first floor of the building.

Sources said a Nepalese watchman was being questioned about the incident, but Interior Ministry officials said it was too early to say what caused the fire.

An official confirmed five cars were completely destroyed in the fire, while another suffered 60 per cent damage and five others minor damage.

He said the entire showroom on the ground floor suffered extensive damage and offices on the first floor were completely gutted.

"The Civil Defence and other concerned authorities are doing their job but it is too early to say what exactly happened," added the official.

Motor City officials declined to comment, but in an advertisement placed in our sister newspaper, the Gulf Daily News, said there had been an "unfortunate incident" at the Volvo and Citroen showroom in Sitra that led to "fire and damage".

The company said its operations had been moved to its Sanad showroom and invited its customers to visit there for sales and other inquiries.

Witness Ali Majeed, who was on his way home to Sitra after dropping off a friend, said he saw flames coming from the top floor of the building and called the Civil Defence.

"I then waited there for a few minutes and circled the area. It was after a few minutes that the fire engines arrived but by then the entire building was ablaze," he said. – TradeArabia News Service