Dubai Torch tower fire: Dubai civil defence, firefighters handled situation well

Dubai: The sheer scale of The Torch tower and the unenviable task of putting out a fire on its daunting vertical facade was tackled by Dubai’s Civil Defence authorities and firefighters with a speed, efficiency and dexterity that has come in for high praise from the tenants of the building as well as those from neighbouring residential towers who witnessed the incident in the early hours of Saturday.

The authorities managed to secure the premises within half an hour after a fire engulfed the top 30 floors of the skyscraper.

“The Civil Defence, Dubai Police and the building management handled the incident extremely well,” said James Saunders, who lives with his wife on the 46th floor.

“We managed to get out of the building within 20-25 minutes. People were helping each other out during evacuation. Firefighters were already on top of things when we got out of the building about 20 minutes after the alarm sounded.”

The Civil Defence, Saunders said, put out the fire by 4.15am. “They did a great job [given that strong winds were fanning the flames]. The entire building was evacuated within half an hour.”

Saunders’ wife, Ann, said, “Some media agencies said that it took firefighters several hours to take care of the fire but that’s not true. It was off in about two hours.”

Mohammad, a Tunision national, a resident of The Torch, had just come home from work and was ready to call it a night when the alarm went off. “It was louder and had a different pitch so I knew it was not a drill. I managed to get out of the building within 20 minutes. People were helping each other come down the stairs. Many made it a point to help the elderly and those with children. The firefighters and police officers handled it very well and we were out of harm’s way within half an hour.”

Zafran, who lives with his brother on the 62nd floor of The Torch, said he was coming back home late when he noticed that police had closed off the roads to his building.

“It was no later than 2.30am when I came back home. People had already been evacuated and firefighters were dealing with the fire.”

Zafran said he is worried about the condition of his apartment. “From the looks of it the fire ate away most of the balconies of the upper floors. I just hope that it did not manage to get inside the rooms. I was told that the fire spread to the top 30 floors of the building, including mine. Now we just have to wait and see what it took with it.”

Robin Red, another Torch resident, said the building’s fire alarms have frequently gone off before so he did not think that it would be a genuine warning this time.

“It was when the security personnel started pounding on our door that we knew it was a real threat. We live on the 17th floor so we managed to get out of the building in a few minutes and went to a friend’s house. The police and firefighters handled the situation quite well. With winds barrelling about and agitating the fire, I’m surprised they dealt with it as quickly as they did.”

The building management, Mohammad said, brought mattresses and quilts for residents until matters became clear. “The Marriott was very helpful too, offering people a place to gather. We have now been advised to go to the 97th floor of the Princess Tower. I was told that the damage is mostly to the building’s exterior. I was also told that the building’s structure was not compromised and only some of its pipelines and electrical channels were damaged. I trust them to secure the safety of the building before we are allowed back inside.”

A representative of the building’s management was seen advising tenants, who gathered on the 97th floor of the Princess Tower, to remain calm and get comfortable until further notice. “We don’t know the cause of the fire yet but we suspect it may have spread from the 15th floor,” he said, “but we insist you stay here until Civil Defence and police officers ensure the safety of your floors. You will be escorted by them back to your apartments to prevent any hazards. You will be taken in batches; those living on the lower levels will go first and so on. We can confirm that no one was injured by the fire and there have not been any casualties.”

“We advise you to get comfortable as, if your apartment is on the higher floors, it may take several hours to determine its condition.”

The elevators, the building’s representative said, were functional.