Aid shipment for Syria destroyed in arson attack on Stockton charity warehouse

The aftermath of the arson fire Incidents on Teesside & County Durham/Facebook

A shipment of aid for Syria has been destroyed in an arson attack on a warehouse, police have confirmed.

The entire shipment of donations, including clothes, tents and food has been destroyed at the warehouse fire on Task Industrial Estate, on Task Road, Portrack, Stockton.

Zaheer Iqbal, a volunteer for Muslim charity “One Ummah”, told the Teesside Gazette“This is devastating news. We can’t get anywhere near the warehouse to check the damage yet because it’s being treated as a crime scene.

“We use the warehouse to pack food, blankets, pillows, tents and clothing for the people in Syria whose lives have been devastated.

“Where the fire started was where we were storing the blankets, pillows and tents.

“We think about 30% of the shipment has been destroyed by fire but the rest is probably severely smoke damaged.”

Stuart Simpson, the watch manager at Stockton Fire Station, told Teeside Gazette that items not destroyed by the fire would likely be totally smoke damaged.

Sign up for regular updates straight to your inbox

Subscribe to our newsletter and stay updated on the latest news and updates from around the Muslim world!

Mr Iqbal added: “The people of Syria need this aid – they have nothing, no water or anything.

“This is going to make us stronger and more determined as a community.

“We’re not going to bow down to any malicious people who are going to do this.”

Add your comments below

Previous articleMalaysia launches its first “Shariah compliant” airlines
Next articleSalma Begum jailed for life for beating her teenage sister-in-law to death