Torch tower residents faced yet another night of worry on Thursday as they were forced to evacuate the skyscraper for the second time in less than two weeks.
An alarm sounded at about 4.30am, forcing families from their beds and into the stairwells as they scrambled belongings together before rushing for the exits.
Residents have described a chaotic scene, as many feared the building was alight for a third time.
Yazen Al Timimi, a Canadian consultant living on the 22nd floor of The Torch, immediately headed for the stairwell outside his door when he heard the alarms sound.
“I heard the alarm for about a minute, it then stopped,” he said.
“After what happened the other week I panicked and took some clothes, money and my passport and ran downstairs.
“There were families with babies trying to get out. Everything above the 28th floor is still empty. We thought it was the same thing happening again. Everyone was in panic mode, some were barefoot.
“As I was going down the floors, I didn’t see any security guards guiding people where they should go.
“People were getting tired and were stopping to rest. When we got to the ground floor, we found out it was a technical issue, so went back up.”
Many residents living above the 60th floor are yet to move back in, as extensive repairs continue.
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Read more:
Home insurance sales up after Torch fire but ‘residents lack knowledge of coverage’
Dubai's Torch tower residents move back in to their apartments
Dubai Torch tower fire: internal e-mail shows repairs from first blaze had just been approved
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Kingfield Owner Association Management Services had provided temporary accommodation to those displaced whilst the restoration work continues indefinitely.
Shortly before the second fire broke out overnight on Thursday, August 3, residents at The Torch had received an e-mail announcing Dubai Civil Defence had signed off exterior repairs following a similar fire in February 2015.
Mr Al Timimi, who was out at the time of the second fire this month, said his flat escaped serious damage, but debris has fallen onto his balcony.
“The security guards told us in the morning it was a false alarm,” he said.
“The building is a mess, the elevators are not fully functional and it is still very damaged. I feel like I’m living in a building that is still being built.
“People who have moved back in are living on the edge. Before, if an alarm sounded I wasn’t that bothered. I’m much more aware now.
“The management company kept us informed after the previous fire and it was managed well, but I’ve heard nothing about what happened last night.”
Email sent to Uber team from chief executive Dara Khosrowshahi
From: Dara
To: Team@
Date: March 25, 2019 at 11:45pm PT
Subj: Accelerating in the Middle East
Five years ago, Uber launched in the Middle East. It was the start of an incredible journey, with millions of riders and drivers finding new ways to move and work in a dynamic region that’s become so important to Uber. Now Pakistan is one of our fastest-growing markets in the world, women are driving with Uber across Saudi Arabia, and we chose Cairo to launch our first Uber Bus product late last year.
Today we are taking the next step in this journey—well, it’s more like a leap, and a big one: in a few minutes, we’ll announce that we’ve agreed to acquire Careem. Importantly, we intend to operate Careem independently, under the leadership of co-founder and current CEO Mudassir Sheikha. I’ve gotten to know both co-founders, Mudassir and Magnus Olsson, and what they have built is truly extraordinary. They are first-class entrepreneurs who share our platform vision and, like us, have launched a wide range of products—from digital payments to food delivery—to serve consumers.
I expect many of you will ask how we arrived at this structure, meaning allowing Careem to maintain an independent brand and operate separately. After careful consideration, we decided that this framework has the advantage of letting us build new products and try new ideas across not one, but two, strong brands, with strong operators within each. Over time, by integrating parts of our networks, we can operate more efficiently, achieve even lower wait times, expand new products like high-capacity vehicles and payments, and quicken the already remarkable pace of innovation in the region.
This acquisition is subject to regulatory approval in various countries, which we don’t expect before Q1 2020. Until then, nothing changes. And since both companies will continue to largely operate separately after the acquisition, very little will change in either teams’ day-to-day operations post-close. Today’s news is a testament to the incredible business our team has worked so hard to build.
It’s a great day for the Middle East, for the region’s thriving tech sector, for Careem, and for Uber.
Uber on,
Dara
Results
6.30pm Al Maktoum Challenge Round-3 Group 1 (PA) US$100,000 (Dirt) 2,000m, Winner Bandar, Fernando Jara (jockey), Majed Al Jahouri (trainer).
7.05pm Meydan Classic Listed (TB) $175,000 (Turf) 1,600m, Winner Well Of Wisdom, William Buick, Charlie Appleby.
7.40pm Handicap (TB) $135,000 (T) 2,000m, Winner Star Safari, Mickael Barzalona, Charlie Appleby.
8.15pm Handicap (TB) $135,000 (D) 1,600m, Winner Moqarrar, Fabrice Veron, Erwan Charpy.
8.50pm Nad Al Sheba Trophy Group 2 (TB) $300,000 (T) 2,810m, Winner Secret Advisor, William Buick, Charlie Appleby.
9.25pm Curlin Stakes Listed (TB) $175,000 (D) 2,000m, Winner Parsimony, William Buick, Doug O’Neill.
10pm Handicap (TB) $135,000 (T) 2,000m, Winner Simsir, Ronan Whelan, Michael Halford.
10.35pm Handicap (TB) $175,000 (T) 1,400m, Winner Velorum, Mickael Barzalona, Charlie Appleby.
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
