Ajman: Tenants left homeless after at least three towers in Ajman One caught fire have started the protracted process of rebuilding their lives “from zero”, residents said on Tuesday.
Towers 6 to 8 in the 12-tower residential cluster in Ajman were gutted by a blaze on Monday night, destroying many flats and tenants’ belongings.
Some people were treated for minor injuries.
Many tenants said they fear they may have “lost everything” in the blaze, the cause of which is under investigation by authorities.
Scores of families have been provided free hotel rooms by officials. However, a few tenants said they were unaware of the option and had to sleep rough or stay with family, friends or colleagues.
Ajman building fire victims fear they 'lost everything'
They said it is not clear how they will cope after they have to leave their hotel rooms, which could be a matter of days, according to tenants. Tenants are also trying to glean information and guidance from the respective owners or agents of the freehold apartments, government officials, and Ajman One representatives.
There are reportedly around 3,000 apartments in Ajman One, most of which were left untouched by the fire. The number of affected tenants and apartments is still in the process of being ascertained. Each tower is about 35 stories tall, plus another four to five floors of car parking.
“We have to start from zero. I feel like this is my first day in the UAE because I don’t have a home. All we have left are the clothes we are wearing and our passports,” said Athar Abbas, a Pakistani tenant of Tower 6, which was badly hit by the inferno.
He, his wife and two young children have been given accommodation at Ewan Hotel in Ajman. Abbas, who works as a sales manager at a bank, said there are roughly 25 to 30 affected families staying at the hotel.
“I don’t know where to go from here. We’re all trying to coordinate and find information on the next step. I will try to find another apartment to rent.”
Mohammad Abdullah, a Pakistani IT project manager, has also been accommodated at the hotel with his wife and two children. He had initially tried to stay at another hotel where some fire victims are staying but left as he was asked to pay lodging charges up front.
Abdullah, whose two-bedroom flat is in Tower 8, said he doesn’t know “what the next steps are”.
An Arab tenant seen in tears at the hotel was too distraught to talk.
On Tuesday morning, many tenants had returned to the site to see the extent of the fire damage, hoping their flats were spared. However, the affected towers are cordoned off.
None of the several tenants Gulf News spoke to had home contents insurance. Many rushed out or were evacuated, leaving behind passports, documents, cash, and other valuables. Some were asleep when the fire started at around 9.45pm on Monday.
“Who will compensate us for our loss? What will we do now?” said Dr Shiraz Shaikh, a doctor from India who lived alone in a studio in Tower 6.
On Tuesday afternoon, firefighters and municipality workers could still be seen at the site, where a massive clean-up operation was in progress.
Rents in the towers were said to be around Dh30,000 to Dh35,000 for studio and one-bedroom apartments, and about Dh45,000 to Dh55,000 for two-bedroom apartments.
