Abu Dhabi: Repeat fire safety violations can result in the closure of restaurants located in residential buildings, a Civil Defence official has warned following a fire that ravaged a building in the capital on February 18.
“Licensed restaurants cannot set up hazardous utility systems, and they must abide by all technical specifications and fire safety measures,” the official told Gulf News.
“Regular inspections are carried out to ensure that all restaurants comply with safety standards for the protection of tenants or customers, and those that do not comply are fined. In case a safety measure is violated again, a bigger fine is handed out, and if it is still repeated, the outlet could be shut down,” he added.
While the cause of the fire is still under investigation, the Arabian restaurant housed in the tower has been shut since the incident and no calls to the management of the eatery were answered.
Restaurants are commonplace in Abu Dhabi’s residential buildings and a fire safety expert said that they do not pose hazards as long as fire systems are regularly maintained. “Before it is allowed to operate, every restaurant has to install fire safety systems, including sprinklers, blankets and fire extinguishers in the kitchen. It is only then that they are presented with the Civil Defence license they need. These are then regularly inspected,” said Ritesh Anand, fire safety project engineer at Naffco, a fire protection manufacturer and provider.
“Of course it is the responsibility of restaurants to perform regular maintenance on fire protection systems, including yearly maintenance on the sprinkler systems and monthly checks on the extinguishers and other equipment. This is where the checks by the Civil Defence are instrumental,” he added.
A manager at an Italian restaurant in the city said that eateries do not pose a threat to residents’ safety.
“Our restaurant has been operating here for the past 12 years, and we’ve never encountered any fire incidents in our kitchen. We have smoke detectors in place, along with fire extinguishers, water sprinklers and fire alarms, and always pass the Civil Defence inspections,” he added.
Another restaurant manager swore by an automatic system that can extinguish fires and alert the staff of gas leaks.
“This system that we have installed automatically shuts down the power if there is any electrical fire or gas leak. We also clean our ducts once a month to remove oils and fatty residues that could start fires, and have not had any hazardous incidents in the last 16 years that we have been located here,” he added.
Meanwhile, many building tenants who were evacuated when the flames broke out have returned home to take stock of their belongings.
“I went back on Monday afternoon to pick up my passport, mobile charger, and some clothes to get changed. I found that there was water but no power, so I slept last night at a relative’s house. When I came today, the power was back too,” one Indian tenant told Gulf News.
Other worried residents pointed to the need for advanced fire safety systems to be installed.
“I have been living in the building for the past (several) years and never witnessed any emergencies during the time. But when the fire started, I noticed that no fire alarm had gone off. This was why many tenants took a while to evacuate,” a Filipino teacher said.
“I know it is common but after all this, I wonder if it is safe to have restaurants within residential buildings. My knees were trembling when we were evacuated. It was very scary, and even though we were accommodated at a hotel that night, we had to leave the next day and find an alternative accommodation,” a Filipino tenant said.
— Asma Samir is a journalist based in Abu Dhabi.
