A traditional wooden shipping boat on the main waterway running through Dubai has caught on fire, sending smoke into the air.
As of this posting, no immediate reports of injuries or causalities. It is not yet clear what caused the fire.
The fire started on Monday in a dhow along Baniyas Street in Deira, close to Al Maktoum Bridge. It broke out on a wooden boat at dock No. 6, said Dubai Civil Defense spokesperson.The operations room received a call about the fire at 1.13pm.
Several crew members of other vessels and wharfage workers had lined up on the edge facing docks to watch the incident unfold. The crowds have all but dispersed by now and traffic on Baniyas Street is routine.
The Dubai Creek is an inlet of the Persian Gulf that separates the old core of the city and remains an active trading port for small vessels like dhows.
Photo Credit: AP Photo/Kamran Jebreili
