Dubai: A partially burnt building on Palm Jumeirah remained closed on Tuesday, a day after a fire damaged the exterior of the upper floors on Monday evening.
On Monday, the fire that had reportedly started from a penthouse apartment in the 14-storey Adriatic building — part of the upscale seven-building Oceana complex — ripped down the side of the building. A Dubai Civil Defence crew battled the blaze for several hours after evacuating all residents safely.
A total of 209 residents from the Adriatic and the adjoined Pacific residence were housed in hotels nearby — many at the five-star Fairmont Hotel.
On Tuesday, as they gathered at a cafe next to the building, some residents, mostly Western, were seen clutching luggage.
Addressing the residents at the cafe, Asteco official Nicholas White said Dubai Civil Defence teams were assessing the damage to the Adriatic and Pacific buildings, residents who attended the meeting told Gulf News.
Until given further notice, residents would have to wait some time to access their homes, he added.
The official told the residents that the Pacific building had escaped most of the damage, and that residents might be let inside by late afternoon.
“Unfortunately, it’s a different story with the Adriatic,” a resident quoted Nicholas as saying. The Adriatic has no power or working elevators.
Residents would only be given access to the tower in emergency cases such as an upcoming trip or to retrieve vital medicines, the official announced.
The owner’s association insurance would not cover damage to personal items damaged in the blaze, he added. Officials said that residents would be given further details — such as where to stay on Tuesday night — by text message.
Outside, on the upper balconies of the Adriatic, Civil Defence crews could be seen surveying the aftermath.
On the building’s burnt side, facing the Palm Jumeirah’s outer ring, the fire had in one part stripped a part of the building’s rooftop structure down to bare girders.
The fire seemed to have mostly affected the aluminium cladding down along the top 12 floors of the building. The glass on most of the balconies nearby was intact.
From the other side of the building, few signs of the blaze were apparent, apart from a faint smell of smoke, broken blue glass, and Civil Defence equipment.
A Bosnian tenant who did not wish to be identified said that he and his wife received a call to evacuate their 11th-floor apartment in the Pacific building at about 9.30pm on Monday. “I just took my phone and my wallet. Twenty minutes later the fire burnt everything, it started flaming,” he told Gulf News. “Small pieces [of debris] started going down from the balconies.”
The couple had spent the night at the Fairmont.
A British resident, who also lives with his wife on the 11th floor of the Pacific, said that his hectic work schedule had kept him away on the night of the fire. “We’re expecting to be allowed back in by late afternoon — that’s late evening probably.”
The businessman said that he was lucky to have all his valuables on him.
“If you haven’t got your passport, haven’t got your credit cards, then life becomes very difficult,” he said.
The Oceana complex’s management firm, Asteco, described the situation in a statement:
“At around 1.30am, after taking permission from Dubai Civil Defence, most residents were allowed to return to their apartments.
Out of the seven buildings, only residents of Adriatic and the adjacent Pacific building could not return home and were hosted in nearby hotels.
It is expected that residents from the Pacific building will be able to return to their residences later today. We are currently waiting for Dubai Civil Defence to notify Oceana management when residents of Adriatic building can return to collect personal belongings.
Dubai Civil Defence is currently investigating the exact cause of the fire and a further update will be released in due course.”
