UAE | Emergencies

Angry fire victims claim they were kept in the dark

Residents of burnt down al baker tower demand answers

  • By Derek Baldwin, Chief Reporter and Mariam M. Al Serkal, Staff Reporter
  • Published: 00:00 January 30, 2012
  • Gulf News

Ehab Emad
  • Image Credit: Virendra Saklani/Gulf News
  • Ehab Emad, who lost 90 per cent of his family’s belongings in the tower fire, is still awaiting permission to get into his apartment.

Sharjah: Victims of a huge 25-storey tower fire five days ago are growing increasingly irritated at what they say is a lack of a unified response by owners of Al Baker Tower 4 in Al Taawun area here.

Collective anger yesterday spilled out on to the street on the steps of the residential building as a small gathering of homeless tenants lobbed verbal grenades at Al Baker Real Estate officials for not keeping them informed of the latest developments on the investigation.

Company officials were said to be working with insurance investigators who were combing the fire scene in an apparent effort to size up the damage but tenants said they failed to get answers to any of their questions. No damage estimates have been released by authorities.

As many as 125 families are homeless after a wall of flames engulfed the rear façade of the tower in the early morning hours of Tuesday, a blaze that apparently originated on the first floor.

Authorities are probing the cause and a case has been opened by Sharjah Police as investigators examine the rubble.

Jordanian Bashar Wahdan of flat 103 was visibly upset yesterday after he was denied entry to his flat, only to be told that only insurance claims investigators were allowed inside the building.

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A team of maintenance workers dressed in orange jumpsuits were also on standby near the front entrance of Al Baker Tower 4, but it's unclear why they were being brought into the cordoned area.

"My clothes, my wallet and credit cards, they're all up there in my flat. I need these things so I can find a solution to this," Wahdan told Gulf News steps away from his building yesterday.

Wahdan said his company has placed him in a hotel for 10 days until he can find new accommodation, but the hunt for new digs hasn't been made any easier by the building owners.

Ehab Emad of flat 504 said there was no point returning to his flat because the fire destroyed about 90 per cent of his belongings, but he was still pressing for answers yesterday from building managers. "I want to know what are the next steps, but I am getting no answers. I don't know what is going on," he said.

No sprinklers

Mohammad Ebrahim of apartment 2004 said he wants answers to allegations that neither fire alarms nor the emergency sprinkler system worked in the minutes after the fire ripped through the structure.

While building owners claimed in a recent statement that all fire response systems were in working order the morning of the fire, Ebrahim said he heard no alarms and the sprinklers in his apartment did not activate.

"No one saw any water. I was sleeping until 3am as the fire was raging. No water came down in my place to wake me up," Ebrahim said.

 

Donations to help

Al Qasba, Sharjah's entertainment destination in cooperation with UAE Red Crescent Authority, Sharjah Charity International and Sharjah Sports Club, is organising a charity campaign for the tower-fire families.

Spearheaded by Shaikha Bodour Bint Sultan Al Qasimi, chairperson of the Sharjah Investment and Development Authority (Shurooq) and chairperson of Al Qasba Development Authority, it continues until Feb. 4.

The campaign runs from 10am to 11pm daily and will collect material contributions and donations from people, organisations and private companies.

Donations accepted at Block A in front of Dunkin Donuts include clothes, furniture, electronics, household goods and dry foods.

Help is on the way

Al Qasba, Sharjah's entertainment destination in cooperation with UAE Red Crescent Authority, Sharjah Charity International and Sharjah Sports Club, is organising a charity campaign for the Al Baker Tower fire victims.

The campaign, spearheaded by Shaikha Budoor Bint Sultan Al Qasimi, Vice Chairperson of Sharjah Ladies Club, Chairperson of the Sharjah Investment and Development Authority (Shorouq), and Chairperson of Al Qasba Development Authority, continues until February 4.

The campaign runs from 10am to 11pm daily and will collect material contributions and donations from people, organizations and private companies. Donations can be dropped at Block A in front of Dunkin Donuts include clothes, furniture, electronics, household items and dry food.

Comments (4)

  1. Added 12:21 January 30, 2012

    I am a tenant of a building in Bur Dubai, The Maintenance is very poor in our building, there are lot of tenants staying by putting partitions in the flats. They do not maintain the Swimming pool as safety tube is damaged, pool has broken lights and gym has broken machines, which could easily put anybody’s life in danger. Despite the various complaints to their office they have not taken any action.. It is high time now.

    Anonymous, Dubai, India

  2. Added 12:15 January 30, 2012

    Very unfortunate fire for which many people will suffer. Not the first fire, not the last. People should not delude themselves of their responsibilities to themselves. If they do not take insurance seriously they run the risks. The same applies in UAE or in your home country.

    Paul, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

  3. Added 11:04 January 30, 2012

    Contents insurance is correct. But how many of those who are working and staying in Sharjah and Dubai can afford to pay the premium for these insurance? Most are middle income families, some where only the man is working. How do you expect them to pay insurance for contents, car insurance, health insurance and life insurance? Priority wise they would go for Life and their car insurance. Contents insurance in this part of the world has always been secondary. More than all this the cause of this incident should be revealed and if it is due to carelessness by a tenant, he or she should be punished and let that be a lesson to all those who are doing the same. Moreover the building owners should have frequent checks on sprinklers, fire fighting equipments and should be strict with these people who are careless. Many a times I have seen people doing Barbecue's and Smoking sheesha on their balconies. How ignorant and careless are these people without even thinking for a second how it can affect him and the life of others.

    Anonymous, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

  4. Added 10:02 January 30, 2012

    It is very sad what happened. However, it should be obvious to everyone the importance of contents insurance. I work in the UK in social housing, a huge majority of our tenants do not bother with contents insurance believing it is the local authorities who are responsible for replacing their goods if something happens. Landlords are only responsible for the building insurance. Maybe landlords need to highlight this when renting out property in UAE. When a tenant signs a lease they should be made aware that it is vital they take out their own contents insurance. I know many of our tenants do not bother so during tenant visits we make a point of telling them it is vital they seek insurance as if anything happens the landlord is not going to replace anything in the home.

    Louise Abousidou, Brighton, United Kingdom

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