Fire engulfs lobby of Atlantis Hotel

Dubai: Hundreds of people were evacuated from the Atlantis Hotel on the Palm Jumeirah on Tuesday after a huge fire broke out in the lobby of the five-star resort.

Police confirmed that nobody was killed or injured in the blaze, which reportedly broke out as a group of labourers were carrying out maintenance work.

A source based at Atlantis told Gulf News on Tuesday, on the basis of anonymity, that the hotel's opening was likely to be delayed for between three and six months.

But Atlantis denied that claim in a statement. "We are still opening on September 24 [the scheduled opening date]," a spokesperson for the hotel said. "Investigations are being carried out to discover what started the fire and full check-ups of the rest of the resort are underway.

"The site of the fire appears to be localised in the lobby area of the resort and we are currently unsure of the extent of the damage. Emergency services remain on the scene and Nakheel and Atlantis will provide further details as they become available.

"There was limited damage to the external roof and lobby dome this morning as a result of a contained fire at Atlantis, Palm Jumeirah resort."

Colonel Abdul Al Aziz Khamis, Acting Director of Dubai Civil Defence, said 270 people - mostly employees and family members residing in the hotel - were evacuated. Teams from three civil defence centres, Jumeirah, Al Quoz and Karama, were called to the site after the operation room received an alert at 7.02am.

Plumes of smoke

Residents travelling to work in the morning reported seeing huge plumes of black smoke billowing from Atlantis. Tailbacks formed on the Palm's main arterial route as security staff ordered vehicles to turn back while denying journalists and photographers access to the resort.

Brigadier Abdul Jalil Mahdi, Deputy Director of Dubai Police's Criminal Investigation Department for Preventative Security told Gulf News the fire was contained at 10.15am.

"Initial investigations suggest the fire might have broken out as workers were carrying out welding activities or because of some electrical problem," said Mahdi. "We cannot confirm the exact cause of the fire until we conclude our investigations."

Nabeel Adhami, a 30-year-old quantity surveyor from Australia, was attending a business meeting at the Fairmont Hotel on the Palm at the time.

"From a distance I could see black billowing smoke but the closer I got the more I could see flames coming up through the middle of the arch," said Adhami.

Fast facts: Opulent structure

• Atlantis resort valued at $1.5 billion (Dh5.5 billion)
• Hotel valued at $1 billion (Dh3.6 billion)
• Includes the 17-hectare Aquaventure waterpark and Dolphin Bay; home to 28 dolphins
• Atlantis is home to one of the world's biggest water tanks, the Ambassador Lagoon, which holds 11 million litres of water and 65,000 fish.
• 1,539 rooms in total
• 150 suites in total
• 2 presidential suites
• 35 regal suites
• Average price of regular suite is $454 (Dh1, 668) per night
• The 924-metre Bridge Suite that connects the east and west towers costs $25,000 (Dh91, 830) per night
• 17 food and beverage outlets
• 23 boutique shops

History: Blazes from the past

• August 26, 2008: Eleven workers died in a fire that broke out in a bachelor accommodation in Naif area, Deira.
• August 17: A fire broke out near Burj Dubai on Shaikh Zayed Road. No one was hurt.
• May 17: Civil Defence put out a blaze that destroyed an engineer's office in the Business Bay project area. No injuries were reported.
• May 14: A fire broke out at around 2pm in a building under construction at Tecom Investments' Tecom B site in Dubai Internet City. No casualties were reported.
• May 3: Two fire fighters died while battling a fire that broke out in a building under construction at Palm Jumeirah.
• April 7: A warehouse containing wood and fibreglass was caught on fire in Ras Al Khor.
• April 3: A blaze gutted a warehouse triggering road closures and traffic jams in the Al Quoz Industrial Area 3.
• April 2: A blaze ravaged the Naif Souq in Deira. 183 shops were gutted while eight people were treated for smoke inhalation.
• March 27: Two people were killed and five injured when a huge fire engulfed warehouses in Al Qouz after an explosion in a fireworks warehouse.
• March 22: Two warehouses in the al Jaddaf area were gutted by fire. Four people were injured.
• March 15: Fire broke out at a factory located at the Jebel Ali Industrial area. No casualties were reported.
• February 19: Fire erupted at a labour accommodation in Al Quoz Industrial area that engulfed four Portakabins.

- Compiled from Gulf News Archives