Sharjah: More than 45 days after a fire forced them out of their homes, residents of Al Nasser Tower see no end to their problem.
At least a dozen apartments were gutted when a fire broke out at the 34-storey residential tower on King Faisal Street on October 1. The fire, the cause of which is still not known, also gutted several vehicles parked near the building.
According to a Sharjah Civil Defence report, the building lacked an emergency alarm system, which meant the residents were caught unawares when the fire broke out.
The report also said that the firefighting equipment available in the building didn’t work, which made containing the fire difficult.
Around 250 families became homeless after the high-rise blaze and more than 45 days after the incident the residents are still waiting to go back home.
“There is still no news when we will be able to go back. We are still living in temporary accommodation and I don’t know how long this will go on. The management is not giving us any definite date, they keep pushing the date every week,” said Sumaiya Adnan, who rents two apartments in the building.
One of her flats is gutted while the other is safe and Sumaiya is wondering whether they will be able to move back into the gutted flat any time soon.
“The problem is that there is no clear picture whether the building will be reopened soon. Even if we choose to move out permanently, it is difficult as shifting our furniture and other goods is difficult without electricity and elevators,” she added.
Unlike Sumaiya, Adel Firoz, who lost everything to the blaze, has already rented a flat in another building.
“One cannot live in a hotel for a long time and it was never clear when we will be able to go back so I rented another apartment. Even if they allowed us back in, I wasn’t sure if I could go back to the same apartment as it was gutted,” said Firoz, who lost all his documents, certificates and other belongings
However, he has not cancelled his tenancy contract with Nasser Tower.
“I am still awaiting compensation for the losses that I have incurred and I feel cancelling the contract will deprive me of the benefits, if at all they decide to pay,” added Firoz.
Another resident, Imad Arafeh, is also planning to move out, but the difficulty of shifting the furniture and lack of clarity on the refund of the rent he has already paid is putting him off.
“I renewed my tenancy contract in September and the management has already encashed one of the cheques that paid the rent for four months and I want the money back as I stayed in the apartment only for 15 days after the renewal of the contract,” said Arafeh, who has lived in the building for two years.
He added that the management is unwilling to return his cheques and cancel the contract, which is making it difficult for him to rent another apartment.
A member of the management, whom Gulf News contacted for comments, refused to speak on the subject.
The building is undergoing repair work and it is not clear when the residents will be allowed to return their apartments.
