The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) has stated that 77 people from 10 homes were given temporary shelter due to the fire that broke out in a chemical warehouse last night.
The warehouse is located next to where the previous Drug Court had been, with the incident occurring at 9:45pm. The NDMA said that 454 people, 69 women and 385 men, from 15 houses had been registered to an evacuation center from midnight last night until 2:30am.
The fire broke out from Prime Fertilizer's warehouse, a company that specializes in the import and sale of plant nutrients and various fertilizers in Maldives. 80 percent of the company's goods were destroyed.
The NDMA stated that of those who were given temporary shelter, 302 of them were expat workers, with 280 being under the care of the companies they work for. The NDMA also stated that 20 expats were given aid from the Maldivian Red Crescent.
The NDMA went on to say that while some families had gone to houses of their relatives, they had to evacuate people from 15 houses due to the fire and the thick smoke that was emanating, with seven people being taken to a hospital due to the effects of the smoke. The seven people are in stable condition, as per the NDMA.
While the fire was under control after an hour and a half of it breaking out, the fire had been completely put out around early morning. The warehouse, made of metal and tin, has been destroyed beyond repair.
