RIYADH, 1 May 2005 — The train maintenance workshop in Dammam burst into flames on Thursday night. The fire that started as a spark on the roof quickly spread throughout the building. The large volumes of chemical gases used in the soldering process — oxygen and nitrogen — helped fuel the fire.
Additionally, a huge number of gas tanks were stored in the workshop. The substances used in the structure of the building contained flammable chemical materials used as heat insulators. The workshop’s roof was built out of wood. These hazardous substances made the fire spread quickly throughout the building.
A source in the Civil Defense Department in the Eastern Province said the fire station at the railroad’s administration and residential complex was closed a long time ago.
Near the workshop is a residential building for railway employees, clinics, administration offices and a gym that has been abandoned for years, he said.
The source said firefighters found the blaze tough going. Station officials neglected to turn off the electric current promptly, and the entry to the workshop is very narrow.
“We had to clear several roads from the western side of the fire scene. Several rails were to be removed to simplify the entrance of the fire trucks,” the Civil Defense source said. “We succeeded in lifting the employees’ cars that were parked very close to the workshop by using cranes.”
Six fire trucks and four ambulances rushed to the scene. Emergency personnel responded to the situation well despite several fire incidents this week with which they have contended.
The latest incident was an enormous fire that erupted in the recycling yard of a paper-products manufacturer in the second industrial city in Dammam.
Firefighters worked for five days to extinguish the smoldering blaze.
At the train maintenance workshop, a number of Civil Defense commands, led by Maj. Gen. Abdullah Garsa, director general of the Eastern Province Civil Defense Department, as well as Col. Abdullah Al-Khashman, assistant director of operations affairs, boosted the firefighters’ spirits and observed operations closely.
“The fire erupted in the old train maintenance workshop,” according to a statement by the railroad administration.
“The technicians on duty were able to drive out all the trains and wagons at the fire scene. No injuries were reported. The cause of the fire has not yet been determined,” the statement said.
The incident did not affect train schedules. It also had no effect on the maintenance operations of the trains. “The operations will be transferred to a new workshop until the damaged one is rebuilt,” the statement added.
