A watchman who tackled a fire on the seventh floor of his eight-storey building was honoured by Dubai Civil Defence for his quick thinking and bravery. Mohammed Ibrahim Nazar Al Din was alerted by an alarm when the fire broke out at 7am on Tuesday. Al Din, a former fireman, raced to the seventh floor flat where the fire had started in the kitchen. "I found the whole family outside the apartment and smoke was billowing out the door," he said. "I called the fire brigade immediately, disconnected the electricity and then used three fire extinguishers to put out the fire."

Col. Ali Al Sayed, Director of Dubai Civil Defence, who presented Al Din with a bravery award, said his actions had prevented the fire from spreading and showed the benefit of watchmen being trained in firefighting techniques. "The fire started at a time when many families were still asleep and others were at work," he said.