Dubai Marina fire: Police captain saves pets trapped in tower after climbing 54 floors

Dubai: When a fierce blaze tore through a Dubai Marina tower on Friday, June 13, more than 3,000 residents were safely evacuated by Dubai Civil Defence. But as the flames raged, many beloved pets remained trapped inside, leaving owners distraught and desperate for help.

In the early hours of the morning, complete strangers came together, coordinating with the Dubai Police Search and Rescue Department to launch a daring mission.

At the heart of the operation was one man, Captain Yaqoub Abdullah of the Difficult Missions Team, who, with his team, braved thick smoke, intense heat and diminishing oxygen in the building to rescue the animals from the burning tower.

Now, residents and volunteers, united through a WhatsApp group of over 300 members, are rallying to ensure Captain Yaqoub and his team are honoured for their extraordinary courage and selfless dedication.

When Anushka Vaswani saw a message in her Marina Gate community WhatsApp group about a fire breaking out, she knew she had to act. She rushed to the scene without hesitation, realising that many residents had left behind their beloved pets in the burning tower.

“When I arrived, I found out a lot of residents still had their pets inside while the building was burning. My husband, who speaks Arabic, informed the officers on site,” she recalled.

Thinking quickly, she and other volunteers, connected with the affected residents and asked them to fill out a form listing their pets’ names and apartment numbers.

Sara Essa, who created the dedicated WhatsApp group ‘Marina Pinnacle Pets,’ worked alongside another volunteer, Padam, to compile the list of missing pets. They spent almost the entire weekend on site, spreading awareness about trapped or lost animals across various WhatsApp groups, Facebook communities and Reddit.

They regularly updated the list and shared it with Anuskha, who acted as a liaison between residents, volunteers and the police. She passed the updated information to the rescue team, guiding Captain Yaqoub with precise details on which pets were still inside the building

The vital information soon reached the Dubai Police’s Search and Rescue team, where Captain Yaqoub stepped forward to lead a mission that would span more than 20 gruelling hours.

“I’m getting emotional talking about this because I would see them come down with shards of glass in their arms," she said.

With smoke so thick that even bystanders outside the building struggled to breathe, Captain Yaqoub, including Officer Ahmed Almurr Saeed from Civil Defence, undertook the dangerous task of rescuing animals trapped inside.

“It was becoming harder to breathe due to such thick smoke engulfing the tower, yet he still climbed all the way up to the 54th floor to save the pets,” she said. “They went floor by floor, working continuously with barely any breaks.”

By Sunday morning, after working non-stop since Saturday, Captain Yaqoub had rescued nearly 14 animals - cats, dogs, parrots, pet fish, tortoises and rabbits.

Yet even after such an exhausting mission, two cats remained unaccounted for.

Sara Essa, spotted the heavy smoke from Palm Jumeirah early Saturday morning. As posts began circulating on social media, she hurried to the scene, determined to assist.

“I tried to arrange boarding and medical care for the rescued animals. Many were suffering from smoke inhalation and some owners were unable to care for their pets as they were displaced or staying in temporary accommodation,” Sara explained.

Dubai Kennels & Cattery (DKC) stepped in by offering 24-hour emergency treatment, while Dr. Sudhakar from House Call Vets provided free medical care on site. Mike's Vet, a local clinic offering free pet boarding and care.

Emergency veterinary care was crucial for many of the animals pulled from the smoke-filled tower.

One of the tower residents, Araib Hassan, who lived on the 27th floor, also shared his first-hand experience of the terrifying event and praised the bravery of the rescuers.

“Me, Sara and other volunteers were helping residents identify and reunite with their pets. We also coordinated with vets to ensure any serious cases were treated at all-night clinics,” he said.

Hassan had managed to evacuate with his own four guinea pigs and two cats but opened his home to foster a rabbit and a parrot rescued by Captain Yaqoub, whose owners were not yet able to care for them.

Harsha R, another resident of the fire-damaged tower, praised Captain Yaqoub’s bravery in rescuing their cat.

“I was volunteering as well, and saw first-hand just how remarkable he was not only in his skill but in the heart and compassion he showed. I don’t think I’ll ever forget Captain Yaqoub.”