Fire engulfs Al Shamsi building in Al Muraqqabat

Dubai: A huge fire broke out in a residential building on Salah Al Deen Street near the Muraqqabat police station a little after 5pm on Monday.

The fire started at the five-storey Al Shamsi building, which has three blocks. The fire started in Block B and spread to Blocks A and C.

Firefighters and dozens of fire trucks succeeded in preventing the fire from spreading to a nearby petrol station and also evacuated a section of neighbouring Crowne Plaza Hotel. Four buildings behind Al Shamsi have been evacuated and all residents were waiting in a sandy plot at the time of going to press. Many of the residents were distraught and weeping.

Metro services were suspended between Union and Abu Hail stations on the Green Line, the Roads and Transport Authority told Gulf News. The services would resume once the fire is brought under control, they added.

Thousands of people gathered on the road near Muraqqabat police station, leading to a massive traffic jam and authorities urged people stay away from Deira area.

In a Twitter message, Dubai Police urged the public to exercise caution.

Police closed Salah Al Deen Street to traffic as firefighters doused the blaze that started at around 5.52pm, a Civil Defence spokesman said.

Teams from three fire stations — Al Hamriya, Rashidiya and Al Ghusais — are battling the fire.

At 8pm, the fire was still raging in all three blocks of the building and several massive explosions could be heard as firemen attempted to rescue residents stranded in the building. The blasts apparently came from gas cylinders exploding and the roof of one of the blocks seemed to have caved in. The wind was making the task difficult for the fire personnel.

Dozens of residents are still stuck inside the building as firemen battle to put out the fire.

The area surrounding the twin buildings has been sealed off within several hundred metres of the fire site.

According to residents who escaped the fire, the blaze broke out around 5.30pm.

Some of them were sleeping or in the washroom and ran out just covered in a towel.

Farnaz Davari, an Iranian expat who lives a few buildings away from Al Shamsi building on the same side of the street, said she was taking a nap and “when I woke up at around 5.30pm, I saw the fire from my 5th floor window”.

Another witness, Indian expat Mohammad Hassan, added that traffic in the area has come to a standstill. “I live opposite Al Shamsi building, behind Muraqqabat police station, and I can’t leave the area because there’s no movement on the road,” he said.

Shena, a resident of Al Shamsi, said, “I was sleeping. When I woke up due to the sound of a fire alarm going off and as we ran out, we saw fire on the fifth floor.”

She added that there were no fire exits in the building, which is at least 30 years old.

Another resident, Christine, from the Philippines, said there were no sprinklers or other emergency equipment in the building.

“I saw the fire and I was looking for the extinguishers but I couldn’t find any. Getting out was also difficult and there was nobody to rescue us initially. We helped each other and risked our lives running out,” she said.

Fatima, who has been living in the building for a year, was at work when the fire erupted but her friends were inside. “My roommates ran out. But they couldn’t gather any belongings. All our valuables and documents like passports and certificates are inside.”

Some residents were in tears as they awaited the fate of their loved ones stuck inside.