The fire devoured thousands of tires which were dumped in more 4,000 square meters area designated for dumping old tires by the Environment Public Authority in Salmi.
The Al-Qabas daily said the tires were transferred from the Rahiya area to its present location after the area was designated as residential area and handed over to the Public Authority for Housing Welfare (PAHW).
The Accident Investigation Department of the Directorate-General of Fire Department (DGFD) has completed investigations into the fire and has also interrogated the witnesses to the fire.
The fire sources stated that the stored materials and the wind speed, helped spread the fire quickly which was extinguished and brought under control supervised by the DGFD.
Meanwhile, the investigating party has not ruled out arson and whoever is found guilty will be severely punished, say the fire sources.
Al-Qabas learned that the three factories which were recycling the used for export has been stopped following this incident as approximately 42 million tires went up in flames.
Informed sources said the Acting Director General of the PAHW, Eng Samira Al-Kandari, based on a letter she addressed to the Director General of the Public Authority for Industry, had requested to stop the procedures for distributing industrial plots in the Salmi area.
Although the request to stop granting plots of land came to ensure that they are properly distributed, Al-Qabas sources confirmed that the suspension exceeded more than 6 months based on the authority’s request issued last January, which obstructs the procedures for developing the industrial zone designated for recycling tires.
