Fire at Sh. Funadhoo petrol shed damages homes, up to 20 treated in hospital

A fire that broke out at a privately run petrol shed in Sh. Funadhoo on Sunday morning spread to nearby houses and garages before it was fully extinguished shortly before noon, the Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) said.

MNDF said its Northern Area Command's Kulhudhuffushi Fire Station received a report of the fire at the 'Fathmini' petrol shed at 8:00am on 25 October and sent firefighters to the island. Firefighters based at Funadhoo airport were the first to respond, it said.

The blaze was 90 percent under control by 10:57am and fully extinguished at 11:58am, according to MNDF. It said the airport firefighters, the industrial fire brigade of JW Marriott Maldives Resort & Spa, police, school cadets and residents of the island all helped fight the fire.

Conflicting injury figures

The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) said 18 people were taken to hospital with injuries: 16 members of the public, a firefighter and a hospital staff member. It later said four people were still being treated and the rest had been discharged, and that no one had been seriously injured.

Figures from the atoll hospital in Funadhoo differed. A hospital official earlier said 16 people were being treated, including six with burns and four who were brought in unconscious. Asma Adam, a senior health care administration officer at the hospital, later said 20 people had been treated: eight for burns, two for smoke inhalation and ten for panic attacks and other injuries.

The hospital said those with burns had been standing away from the fire when a tank exploded, throwing debris about 200 feet.

Homes damaged

NDMA initially said four houses and five garages had been affected. It later said five houses were affected and 33 people had been moved elsewhere as a precaution. The authority said it was identifying people who need humanitarian assistance.

The petrol shed is in a residential area near the Funadhoo harbour. Authorities have not said what caused the fire.

President Dr Mohamed Muizzu said on social media that he hoped those whose property was damaged would quickly return to normal life. He thanked MNDF, police, the fire and rescue teams of Funadhoo and Maafaru airports and JW Marriott, Sh. Atoll Hospital, the National Cadet Corps, Funadhoo Council and the island's residents.