Dubai: Work to repair the sauna room of the multi-storey Torch tower in Dubai Marina, where a fire erupted on Saturday night, has begun, the building’s managers told Gulf News on Monday.
Anel-Carline Beukes, head of compliance and communication at Kingfield Owner Association Management Services, said, “While the process to start repairs on the sauna room has been initiated, all building systems have returned to normal operations.”
She said, “Smoke affected some of the lower floors immediately above the area but no injuries or further damages have been reported. All systems were fully functional and the fire and lift contractors were on site to manage any technical system matters which resulted from the smoke.”
She said, “Shortly before midnight on January 5, a small fire broke out inside the sauna room on the fifth floor of the Torch Tower. A full evacuation was ordered by the Dubai Civil Defence (DCD). Residents who evacuated the building received clearance from DCD to re-enter the building at approximately 2:45am. The authorities are yet to issue their determination as to the cause of the incident.”
“We thank everyone involved and all residents for their swift response and cooperation,” she added.
Effective management
The effective management of fires in general by Civil Defence authorities in the UAE has been widely acknowledged.
According to Dubai-based Cavendish Maxwell, which advises building managements on proper fire safety practices in line with the UAE’s Fire and Life Safety Code, “The laws and amendments introduced provide detailed explanations of fire safety design elements, and this is comprehensive, including maintenance, accessibility and regular audits to ensure safety standards are met. Fire safety will continue to improve as these systems and standards are implemented, which Dubai Civil Defence is actively working towards.”
Fathy Al Sharkawi, senior safety trainer at Securitas, which provides certified fire safety training services, said safety is an area that needs constant review and updates, especially in rapidly growing cities like Dubai. “Besides being adequately equipped to handle an emergency, awareness about how we can protect ourselves is also important.”
Will Torch change its name?
The fact that Saturday night’s fire was the third to be reported so far in the Torch tower has prompted some unlikely comments from residents.
“This is a joke!!! Third time’s a charm,” said one of them.
“Now that there have been three fires, Will Torch consider changing its name?” asked another.
When the question was posed to the building’s managers, they said it has been previously considered and is still under review.
While the first fire at the Torch occurred on February 21, 2015, the second was on August 4, 2017.
