Dubai: When Master develop Emaar opened the doors in November 2008 of its new Dubai Mall, the 12 million square foot facility was touted as one of the world’s largest leisure destinations that would eventually house 1,200 retail stores.
Replete with 160 eateries, a 10-million litre aquarium and an Olympic-sized ice rink in a retail complex situated at the base of the Burj Dubai, the world’s tallest tower, the mall did not disappoint and is now visited by thousands of shoppers daily.
Hosting that many people in a massive retail complex safely is something that Emaar officials take very seriously.
Following a restaurant fire on August 21, the master developer said it routinely checks its infrastructure to safeguard against calamity.
“The Dubai Mall takes proactive and continuous measures to ensure the safety of visitors. We comply with all local statutory and regulatory requirements as per the design and installation of safety systems,” an Emaar spokesperson told Gulf News.
Testing internal fire systems and conducting training sessions with staff keeps the mall up to date with the latest standards.
“Each system is maintained and tested to local statutory standards, which are in line with best practices as defined by the concerned authorities. Periodic training sessions are also conducted for the staff,” said the spokesperson. “We are committed to the safety and security of our visitors, and uphold the highest standards in terms of compliance to safety regulations.”
The assurances from Emaar follow confirmation of a minor kitchen fire that fire broke out in a cooking oven in an eatery on the second floor of The Dubai Mall near The Waterfall.
There were no injuries to kitchen staff, said fire officials.
As many as four fire engines arrived at The Dubai Mall in response to the fire call but the internal firefighting system of the mall had already doused the fire, said officials.
As a further precaution, escalators were turned off and access was taped off to prevent shoppers from entering.
