reason why I should always be shutter ready

Just when I thought what to write, a large explosion that shook windows and the ground occurred in Al Quoz Industrial area producing a massive black mushroom cloud in the sky this morning.

~ smoke as seen from Al Nahda Road ~

We did not hear the explosion as we are not living near Al Quoz but the billowing smoke is very visible from our house and on the road on our way to work.

~ thick black smoke as seen in Salahuddin Road in Deira, near my office ~

Now, what exactly happened is still unclear but seems like a firecracker factory caught fire and exploded. Major roads near the area including Sheikh Zayed Road and Al Khail Road suffered severe traffic because of the incident. Injuries were reported but authorities have yet to confirm. Will post more about this later.

***** UPDATE *****

I went to the Immigration Department today to arrange visa amendment status of my husband and as soon as got out of the car, I was greeted by a really bad smell that looked like burning plastic. I can’t really describe it. The smoke was thicker there also because Al Quoz is near.

Gulf News had an update of the story with some shocking photos. A revelation that what I saw from my place earlier this morning was very far from what really happened in the affected area!

Witnesses said the explosion sounded like a volcanic eruption and from the looks of this mushroom cloud, I’d say, it really looks like a volcano has erupted!

This was the view of the sky taken by a photographer while facing Sheikh Zayed Road:

Last three photos taken from Gulf News.