Burning candle sparked deadly fire in Abu Dhabi

Abu Dhabi: The fire in an apartment building on Thursday happened because tenants were forced to use candles after electricity was cut off to many flats, tenants said.

They said that the power was cut to the building since December 7. The municipality and landlord exchanged accusations, each holding the other responsible for the disconnection of electricity.

The building appears to be very poorly maintained from the outside, when Gulf News visited the scene of the fire.

One of the tenants, a Yemeni, said that the building owner was responsible for the electricity disconnection and wanted to force people out of the building.

The occupants are all bachelors of various nationalities.

Two eyewitnesses, who wish to remain anonymous, reported that the fire is the third that occurred this month. A fire broke out in apartment 202 also caused by a candle. The occupants were awake, and put out the fire right away. Only one man sustained minor burns to his fingers, they said.

Ten days earlier apartment 201 also caught fire for the same reason. No one was then reported injured, they said.

Thursday's fire broke out on the 17th floor of the building, which is located at the intersection of Al Falah Street and Al Muroor road.

Two people died in the incident, presumably burned to death inside apartment 1102. A third man, an Egyptian, jumped out of the 11th floor to escape. He was rushed to a hospital, where he is being treated for serious injuries.

A candle apparently fell on a rug and it started burning due to the gas fumes, according to one tenant.