All photos by Elysia Windrum
Updated on Sept. 11 with remarks from Mowasalat
A fire that ripped through a Mowasalat depot in the Industrial Area last night has wrecked some 27 Karwa buses.
The blaze apparently broke out around 8:30pm and was brought under control by 11pm, according to the Ministry of Interior. In a tweet in Arabic, the MOI said there were no injuries:
الدفاع المدني يسيطر على حريق في مواقف باصات كروة بمنطقة ابوهامور دون مصابين #الداخلية_قطر
— وزارة الداخلية – قطر (@MOI_Qatar) September 9, 2014
This morning, the burned-out buses remained sitting out of the bus depot, where several others buses were untouched by the fire.
Investigators from state transport company Mowasalat’s higher security department were observed examining the scene.
The cause of the fire – which destroyed several buses used by schools – remains unknown.
However, the investigators told Doha News that they were considering the possibility that the fire was started deliberately.
State transportation company Mowasalat runs Karwa-branded public service buses and a growing school bus service, in addition to providing private hire coaches for companies and for events.
In a statement, Mowasalat said the loss of the buses would not affect public transportation, as the vehicles were out of service and about to be scrapped.
Last week, the Supreme Education Council announced it had deployed 1,700 school buses across the country, including 700 new vehicles, in a bid to reduce congestion on the roads at peak times.
It is not clear what impact the fire will have on Mowasalat’s operations. The company has yet to issue a statement.
Thoughts?
Some kids really, really don’t want to go to school …
They must have a pretty big arsonal to inflict such damage
hmmm Rajput pic looks like mine from the scene … either he was next to me or he edited the hose part and claimed it his own …
All I can think is thank god no one was hurt … This is pretty scary… How the heck did 23 buses catch on fire… I mean physically if it was an open uncovered lot and the buses were not connected… And there’s no grass.. Tree or any other flammable material … They park over sand and rocks.. Right?
Did they pour gasoline on all 23 buses??
Also why didn’t Dohanews cover last weeks fire where five people died .. It happened in some medical centre quarantine room
5 died in a fire and no news of it???
We’ve tried to look into that fire. Have reports that it took place at the deportation center. But no embassies will talk about it. The morgue also sent our reporter away.
Shooo, go away, nothing to see here….
Wow…scary. It’s 2014 Last time I checked
Check this out – http://www.sacred-texts.com/time/cal/isldate.htm
Today is 16/11/1435Monday, the 16th of Dhu al-Qi’dah, 1435 A.H.
What a shame. People died and nobody wants to talk about it or to learn from the experience to see that such things don’t happen again. Were the authorities not responsible to provide this people proper safety and security in the first place
Yes, it was at the deportation center (don’t think Gulf Times stated the same) a prisoner who knew the young Pakistani “Salman” (18 or 19yrs old) who
Maybe i missed the article,but havent seen a report by Doha news regarding this matter!
MOI (Arabic) posted about it on Friday 8:14pm and Doha News after an hour of that at 9:16pm. MOI (English) posted the following day (Sat) at 1:05am. Doha News can’t be reporting elaborately if both the concerned Embassies and Authorities don’t want them to now, can they ? Welcome to Qatar.
There was coverage on Twitter Arabic papers and local Arabic forums
Some one got so frustrated with the traffic; hence the cause of fire. Just my guess. But yes some one deliberately did it. One of the possible reasons could be heavy traffic frustration
Confused how adding 700 more buses is an attempt to decrease congestion…
More buses equals fewer cars on the school run.
Do we really think it will help? I doubt it. It will just add 700 more vehicles on the road.
The MOI tweet in Arabic says Abu Hamour, not the Industrial Area.
I think it’s like when the cemetery is said to be in Abu Hamour – but actually in the Industrial Area: https://www.google.com/maps/place/Mowasalat/@25.195233,51.471977,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m2!3m1!1s0x3e45d1080a27da69:0x9816ce25e8497c50
Cemetery is in abu hamour and not industrial area. It can also be called mesaimeer
If someone did it deliberately, it might be a drunk driver who used to loiter around the parking area. That parking area is mostly frequented by bus drivers. This area is used to park the old or used buses. If it was done deliberately, it will probably be by a bus driver who knows the place very well and who exactly knows what he was doing and when to do it. There are lots of drunkards and you can see them drinking alcohol in front of their accommodation mostly after the sun settled down. You never know what comes to a drunkard’s mind when he had lots of uncertified alcohol.Most probably it might make him crazy and gaining false encouragement he might do unimaginable things. You can see lots of drivers drinking unknown alcohol normally and in the open as if they are drinking juice or Pepsi as if they are in picnicking. Whom do you expect if it is done purposefully? I would say if it is accident, it would have happened during the day time while everything was hot with the searing sun. Why in the night? Someone is involved!
Fake insurance claim ?