Dubai: A fire broke out in a chemicals storage area at the Jebel Ali today, police said. "The fire broke out in a chemicals company" in the free zone of the port, a police officer at the scene said. He said the fire had not been extinguished but that it had been brought "under control" and was not near the quays of the port. Thick black smoke was seen rising from the storage area, witnesses said. The Jebel Ali free zone provides warehousing and distribution facilities to thousands of international and local companies in Dubai. A major fire broke out in Port Khalid, the main cargo port of the neighbouring emirate of Sharjah, on August 18 bringing it to a halt for a day.