On Sunday, April 16, at one o’clock in the morning, civil defense claims that safety regulations were not followed, resulting in the tragedy. Nearly 12 hours have passed since a massive apartment fire in Dubai’s Al Ras that killed 16 people and injured nine more. The charred exterior of a fourth-floor apartment is all that remains of the tragedy. The building has been sealed off by authorities for safety reasons. The bachelor and family tenants who escaped the fire have become homeless overnight.
A tenant of the unfortunate building stated, “We are out on the streets since we were evacuated at 3pm.”
At the point when Khaleej Times visited Al Ras past 12 PM, the occupants were seen out and about standing by to get back, tasting on some tea, conversing with one another, or perusing the Heavenly Qur’an as they anticipated any news connected with their condos.
The Dubai Common Guard affirmed that the fire broke out on Saturday evening.
Residents of the neighborhood reported seeing a ball of fire on the fourth floor, which they believe was caused by a malfunctioning air conditioner. We first noticed the fire, which only burned the air conditioner. However, within a few minutes, we heard a bang—likely the AC blast’s condenser. A witness stated, “We could see plumes of smoke billowing out as the fire quickly spread.”
Tenants were attempted to be rescued by two building-based watchmen.
“As the fire overwhelmed the pads, the alarm in the structure was actuated. A resident and a security guard rushed to the fourth floor. Despite the smoke making it nearly impossible to see, they managed to keep their watchmen alive.
The fire engines arrived quickly to put out the flames. The fire was first reported to the Dubai Civil Defence Operations Room at 12.35 p.m. Within six minutes, a team arrived at the location and began the evacuation and firefighting processes. The operations were supported by teams from the Hamriyah and Port Saeed fire stations.
“Occupants of the first, second, and third floors got away from by the steps or slid by a rope attached to the barbecues of their galleries. Due to the smoke filling the corridors, residents on the fourth floor were unable to,” a neighbor stated.
After the fire was contained at 2.42 p.m., cooling operations began. The civil defense team successfully used cranes to rescue the third-floor residents around 3 p.m.
The flats and commercial spaces in the building have been sealed off by the authorities, who have advised them to move elsewhere until further notice. A resident stated, “We are told that we will be permitted to enter our homes on Sunday.”
Failure to comply According to the Civil Defense, preliminary investigations revealed that the fire was caused by failure to comply with building security and safety requirements. Important specialists are directing an extensive examination to give a nitty gritty report on the reasons for the mishap.
