Human error cause of fatal tower blaze

Dubai: The fire at Fortune Tower in which two construction workers were killed last Thursday was due to "human error", the Chief of Dubai Police revealed on Sunday during Intersec 2007.

Lieutenant General Dahi Khalfan Tamim said the swift response by teams controlled the fire quickly, saving workers and transferring them to hospitals.

Two people were killed and 37 were injured in the fire that broke out on the 30th floor and spread upwards at Fortune Tower, a commercial building located in the Jumeirah Lake Tower development under the management of the Dubai Multi Commodities Authority.

There were about 350 workers in the 34-storey tower when the fire broke out. The fire started at 12.30pm and soon huge plumes of smoke billowed from the building.

Lieutenant General Dahi praised the rescue efforts of Dubai Police's crisis management teams, Dubai Civil Defence, the armed forces, the security department and the Department of Health and Medical Services (Dohms).

Brigadier Rashid Thani Al Matroushi, Director of Dubai Civil Defence, said the fire was minor and a result of the burning of materials used in construction such as electric cables and plastic materials.

During an Intersec conference, he explained that firefighting experts realised the fire was minor when the workers broke the glass windows of the tower and air blew out of it without any explosions.

"If there was a big fire in the tower and the glass was broken, there would have been an explosion because big fires cause an increase in temperature leading to explosions," Brigadier Al Matroushi said.

He said the plastic materials in the building caused the dense smoke.

"Construction companies and consultants will be contacted regarding plans to instal firefighting and alarm systems to avoid similar incidents," Brigadier Al Matroushi said.

He said the fire alarm systems at most towers under construction are not active and are only activated after completion.

The Burj Dubai is the only tower that implements safety and firefighting procedures during its construction phases.

Have your say
How safe is your building? Have you ever participated in fire drills? Do you keep a fire extinguisher at home? What other precautionary measures do you take? Tell us at
letter2editor@gulfnews.com or send your comments below.

In every building in the UAE you can see a very good fire alarm system and fire fighting equipment in place. But the people who stay there do not have a clue on how to operate those systems.
Raphi
Dubai,UAE

Well, there are proper arrangements in our building for fire and other emergencies. Moreover. I would like to focus on the fact that the new contractors must implement these arrangments from day one of the construction because it can save the lives of workers as well.
Shehzad
Ajman,UAE

The hazardous storage of chemicals is never being taken as a major risk factor at sites. Can we ensure that workers are well aware of fire risks from building materials and the emergency methodology to be adopted against any such incidences?
M. Kumar
Dubai,UAE

The fire in Fortune Tower seems to have been a small one and the Dubai Fire Services acted reasonably well and in time. I endorse the views of other correspondents about making the owners of under-completion high-rise buildings fulfill their responsibility. But we need to learn some sharp and hard lessons for the long-term actions. Since Dubai seems to have among the largest number of high-rise buildings per square mile in the world (both completed and those under construction), an immediate survey is necessary to quantify the amount of fre risk at any given time. So that the correct and desired number of firefighting equipment can be calculated and procured immediately. Then it would also be crucial to spread the location of Fire Stations to cover all areas of potential risk- separate ones for Shaikh Zayed Road and Deira/Bur Dubai areas. Lastly, it is equally important to give due importance and honour to the profession of firefighting by way of salaries, insurance and housing etc. .
S. Muhammad
Dubai,UAE

Authorities should make sure that the super-fast pace of growth Dubai is witnessing over the past couple of years should never compromise international safety standards. Each and every new 'dream project' should be grilled through the industry standard benchmarks to see that they comply100%. Lives of the poor workers should never be put at risk to meet deadlines.
Haris
Sharjah,UAE

There are not much safety measures undertaken and workers are not aware of what to do during fire at construction sites of high-rise buildings.
Manoj
Dubai,UAE

People must be made aware that fire extinguishers have an expiry date. We must ensure that fire extinguishers at home and in the office are regularly checked and replaced on or before expiration. The problem is that building owners are neglecting to either check or replace extinguishers in their buildings. To make matter worst, in spite of soaring house rents, tenants are expected to shoulder the cost of replacing their extinguisher(s) at home. For example, my flat of nine years was never checked for an extinguisher.
E. Angeles
Abu Dhabi,UAE

Every building should be controlled by the Muncipality authorities and every construction site should be connected to a control room with the Muncipality authority.
A. Samad
Dubai,UAE

Even if it reduces the speed of development, I still personally prefer to follow safety measures in every aspect of life, in every work, and this should be the attitude of all engineers, especially those working on construction sites and in maintenance services. Because these are the persons who are really responsible for small casualties and big disasters.
M. Yousufmiya
Dubai,UAE

There are no emergency exit arrangements in many towers under constrution. I would advise construction firms to arrange a system of emergency exits from highrises under construction, in case any accidental fires break out.
S.A. Kausar
Dubai,UAE

I am staying in the fourteenth floor of a building in Abu Dhabi. We have never had a fire drill.
S. Hameed
Abu Dhabi,UAE

It is regrettable that in most of the buildings the fire escape routes are obstructed with building waste material and in an actual emergency, residents cannot make their way out. Who will act to rectify this?
A. George
Dubai,UAE

Many cheap exhaust fans installed in bathrooms/kitchens etc. are not of good quality as they burn out upon leaving them on for a long duration (5-6 hours), as has happened with me twice with two different brands in different bathrooms during a 2-3 year period. My advice to the general public is: do not go for cheap exhaust fans/electrical equipment. Switch off the exhaust fans when not in use. Their usage can become dangerous in old buildings, where there are no fire fighting equipment .
M. S. Rashid
Dubai,UAE