Residents told of a desperate 15-minute dash down smoked-filled stairwells as the 190-metre Abbco Tower burned around them.
Tenants paced down thousands of steps with alarms blaring shortly after a fire broke out at 9pm on Tuesday.
Many left behind hard-to-replace documents and ID and fear they have lost many of their possessions.
Fire crews managed to save the building near the Sharjah-Dubai border in three hours but it appeared to have suffered massive damage.
I don't have anything except the phone in my hand and the clothes I am wearing. My wife is pregnant back home – how do I tell her this has happened to me?
"There was smoke coming through the stairs but I had no choice, because I knew it was too dangerous to even think about taking the elevator," Kenneth Onyekwele, who lived on the 10th floor, told The National.
“It would have been quicker to get out but there was an elderly neighbour on the stairs who was having trouble breathing, so I had to assist her to go down the steps.”
Mr Onyekwele, 32, only moved in 10 days ago to cut costs after losing his job as an electrician at Global Village. The attraction closed in March due to the Covid-19 outbreak. Abbco Tower was home to many hard-working families, young couples and single expats.
Studio apartments were let out for as little as Dh17,000, rising to Dh30,000 to Dh40,000 for a two-bed.
“I’ve asked if I could get back into my apartment to get my Emirates ID but I have been told to wait,” he said.
“I don’t have anything except the phone in my hand and the clothes I am wearing. My wife is pregnant back home and relying on me to send money – how do I tell her this has happened to me?
“I need my Emirates ID to apply for work but it was in the apartment along with my passport and wallet.”
Filipino Von Segaya, 38, was staying with his sisters on the ninth floor after the hotel he worked at told him to take extended leave.
“It took us about 10 minutes to get down the stairs and out to safety,” he said.
“You could smell the smoke but you couldn’t see it - which was probably worse.
“People were shouting as well which only made it more intense. Thankfully there were no flames on the stairs as things were bad enough.”
Fire safety expert Andy Dean, head of facades at engineering firm WPS's Middle East office, said making sure a building’s safety plan was adhered to could be the difference between life and death.
"Making sure sprinklers are working, batteries in alarms are operating properly and ensuring fire alarms are not going off by mistake - so often that people just ignore them - might sound like low-hanging fruit but they really are crucial,” said Mr Dean.
“There have been evacuations of buildings that have been successful because these things were not ignored.”
The%20specs
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ALRAWABI%20SCHOOL%20FOR%20GIRLS
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Kalra's feat
- Becomes fifth batsman to score century in U19 final
- Becomes second Indian to score century in U19 final after Unmukt Chand in 2012
- Scored 122 in youth Test on tour of England
- Bought by Delhi Daredevils for base price of two million Indian rupees (Dh115,000) in 2018 IPL auction
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
Allardyce's management career
Clubs (10) - Limerick (1991-1992), Perston North End (1992), Blackpool (1994-1996), Notts County (1997-1999), Bolton Wanderers (1999-2007), Newcastle United (2007-2008), Blackburn Rovers (2008-2010), West Ham United (2011-2015), Sunderland (2016), Crystal Palace (2016-2017)
Countries (1) - England (2016)
The%20specs
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THE%20SPECS
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COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Sebastian Stefan, Sebastian Morar and Claudia Pacurar
Based: Dubai, UAE
Founded: 2014
Number of employees: 36
Sector: Logistics
Raised: $2.5 million
Investors: DP World, Prime Venture Partners and family offices in Saudi Arabia and the UAE
RESULT
Brazil 2 Croatia 0
Brazil: Neymar (69'), Firmino (90' 3)
Director: Jon Favreau
Starring: Donald Glover, Seth Rogen, John Oliver
Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
RESULT
Copa del Rey, semi-final second leg
Real Madrid 0
Barcelona 3 (Suarez (50', 73' pen), Varane (69' OG)
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
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Indoor cricket in a nutshell
Indoor Cricket World Cup - Sep 16-20, Insportz, Dubai
16 Indoor cricket matches are 16 overs per side
8 There are eight players per team
9 There have been nine Indoor Cricket World Cups for men. Australia have won every one.
5 Five runs are deducted from the score when a wickets falls
4 Batsmen bat in pairs, facing four overs per partnership
Scoring In indoor cricket, runs are scored by way of both physical and bonus runs. Physical runs are scored by both batsmen completing a run from one crease to the other. Bonus runs are scored when the ball hits a net in different zones, but only when at least one physical run is score.
Zones
A Front net, behind the striker and wicketkeeper: 0 runs
B Side nets, between the striker and halfway down the pitch: 1 run
C Side nets between halfway and the bowlers end: 2 runs
D Back net: 4 runs on the bounce, 6 runs on the full
Match info
Newcastle United 1
Joselu (11')
Tottenham Hotspur 2
Vertonghen (8'), Alli (18')
Company%20profile
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At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
The candidates
Dr Ayham Ammora, scientist and business executive
Ali Azeem, business leader
Tony Booth, professor of education
Lord Browne, former BP chief executive
Dr Mohamed El-Erian, economist
Professor Wyn Evans, astrophysicist
Dr Mark Mann, scientist
Gina MIller, anti-Brexit campaigner
Lord Smith, former Cabinet minister
Sandi Toksvig, broadcaster
RESULT
Uruguay 3 Russia 0
Uruguay: Suárez (10'), Cheryshev (23' og), Cavani (90')
Russia: Smolnikov (Red card: 36')
Man of the match: Diego Godin (Uruguay)
COPA DEL REY
Semi-final, first leg
Barcelona 1 (Malcom 57')
Real Madrid (Vazquez 6')
Second leg, February 27
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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