'Many lives were saved': Tenants recall escape after 150 flee raging Dubai fire

Tenants have spoken of how they held their children close as they ran down stairs to escape a raging fire which swept through their residential building in Al Barsha area of Dubai.

About 150 people fled the 14-storey Saleh Bin Lahej building, near Mall of the Emirates, after the fire broke out at around 2pm on Tuesday.

Tenants said lives were saved as many children, mothers and nannies had just returned home from school and were able to leave their apartments in seconds.

Emergency services arrived at the scene within six minutes after receiving reports of the incident at 2pm, Dubai Media Office reported.

The blaze was brought under control with the help of advanced firefighting drones, and no casualties were reported. The cause of the fire has not been disclosed.

“At the time of the evacuation on Tuesday, approximately 150 residents were inside the building. The fire alarm system functioned properly, and the evacuation was carried out safely,” the Saleh Constructions management team told The National.

“The building accommodates around 170 residents across 83 apartments.”

Tenants given shelter and support

All apartments were leased with no individually owned apartments in the building and tenants have been informed that the remainder of their rent would be returned.

“All affected tenants are being provided with a hotel stay allowance to support their accommodation needs during this period,” the building management company said.

“Since the building is currently uninhabitable, tenants have been given the option to cancel their tenancy contracts. In such cases, the balance rent amount, calculated from the date of the fire incident, will be refunded.”

Frightening scene

“We were very scared, it was very frightening to see the smoke. I just picked up my three-year-old and ran,” said a mother who had brought her children back home from school minutes before she saw black smoke outside the window. “Nothing prepares you for this.”

The Indian national was among dozens of residents who loaded suitcases full of belongings in cars and taxis.

“We have been able to take some clothes but a lot is ruined. We are in a hotel for a few days and our rents will be returned. But it’s a big shock and now we must search for new accommodation,” she said.

Friends, relatives and colleagues parked cars near the building and helped load suitcases, trolleys, plastic and shopping bags.

“Many lives were saved because mums and kids had just come back from school, others were on their way back,” said a working mum who learnt that her home was on fire from a colleague who saw the news on social media.

“We were lucky because my husband and I were at work and my child was at school. It is the worst experience – to lose your home.”

Hunt for new homes

Tenants said the smoke and fire triggered the safety alarms that warned them to leave their apartments.

“It will take many trips to pack whatever we can find that does not smell of smoke,” said an Asian resident who works in the IT sector.

“The building was well maintained, people knew there were rules not to smoke and throw cigarettes from the balcony. There was no kitchen or restaurant below that caused fires in other buildings, but despite this the fire still happened.”

Tuesday’s blaze was the latest in the densely populated Al Barsha neighbourhood over the past year. Emergency services responded in May to a gas leak that caused a fire at a restaurant, also near Mall of the Emirates. An eight-storey building in the area was engulfed in flames in December last year.

Many tenants who had gathered below on Tuesday and watched the fire engulf a section of the building said they planned to move away.

“I was lucky because my apartment was not affected but there are people who have lost everything,” said a tenant from Eastern Europe.

“It’s not just about furniture and clothes, it’s memories. Your life is there in that home and you lose everything. My apartment is OK, but the smell of the fire is everywhere. It’s not a happy place now.

Family rentals

The building housed individual families and did not permit apartments to be shared by multiple tenants.

Authorities have clamped down on illegal sublets and partitioned units across Dubai, warning that unauthorised partitions and makeshift divisions within rooms are potential fire hazards.

In July, a fire in a residential tower in Dubai Marina housing more than 3,800 people drew attention to the fire traps in illegally partitioned homes.

“Ours was a respectable building, there were very strict rules and bachelors sharing apartments was not allowed,” said one resident about Tuesday's blaze.

“We have no option but to move but I hope once the cause is known, it’s clear what can be done to stop all these fires.”