Sharjah: Major Fire Guts 34-Floor Residential Building

Sharjah, Apr 28 (Emirates 24/7): A massive fire broke out at around 2:30 am on Saturday morning on the north side of Al Tayer buliding in the Al Nahda area of Sharjah.

Panic spread among the residents living in the building when fire broke out but they managed to escape unhurt.

But residents fear many pets left behind by them in the 34 floor residential building may not survive the fire.

The reason for the blaze is still unknown.

Civil defense and police reacted fairly quickly and ambulances, firefighters were quickly dispatched. Cilvil defense team from Ajman also rushed to fire site.

However, the residents say they could not see any of the building management and officials during the whole incident.

Residents said the water to dowse the building fire came only an hour after the fire swathed the building.

Till 9:30 am flames could be seen in some of the floors and smoke billowing out of the building but none of the dozen or so fire tenders were seen doing anything.

The residents, who were stranded outside, were asked by the police to gather at the nearby Al Nahda park and register themselves.

Residents also claim that the water sprinklers or the smoke alarm system were out of service and did not work.

In fact some of the residents tried to put out the fire with the water hose in the building but there was no water there.

Eye witnesses say the fire was almost contained but since there was a delay in dispensing water the situation went out of control.

One of the angry residents said that there have been several fire incidents in Al Nahda area which is crowded with high rise buildings and by now the civil defense should have managed to work out a plan to deal with such situations that have hit Al Tayer building today.

Families in Fire-ravaged Al Nahda Building Face Homeless Night Out

Most of these families would never have imagined they would be spending nights in a community tent in the UAE.

A tent with no AC and that too just as the weather is turning hot and humid.

Residents of nearly 400 flats from the 40-storied Al Tayer Tower in the Al Nahda area of Sharjah, that partially went up in flames on Saturday morning have no choice.

Saturday night will see them live either with friends and families or in the temporary tent erected by the civil defence and charity bodies at Al Nahda Park.

Speaking to Emirates 24|7, members of the affected families said they are still in the dark about their future as the property owners are meeting and yet to offer alternative arrangements.

“We are upset because the affected families are stranded here and there, and most of them have sought temporary shelter in the flats or villas of close friends or relatives.

“The Civil Defence officials have taken the contact number and names of residents of the flats directly affected by the far.

Only flats in the 8 and 9 series, numbering around 68 flats are directly affected,” said Mohammad M, a bank employee with three children.

“We cannot stay in the temporary tents erected in the Al Nahda Park, because it is too hot and humid. There are two tents that can accommodate 50 people. There are only chairs and we don’t know what facility is there for sleeping,” said the father of another family, who asked not to be named.

There are 12 flats on each floor of the affected building.

“We have carried an elderly Pakistani lady, who could not walk down the steps as she had a major surgery and was bedridden.

“We have helped the women, children and sick residents to escape from the building without harm,” added another resident.

"The tent is a good gesture from the authorities, but how can we use it in this hot climate," added the resident.

Tomorrow children have to be sent to schools and others have to attend office.

Recounting what happened, another resident, who asked not to be named, said, “The fire started on the first or second floor.

The fire alarm went off and initially people ignored it because when people smoke outside the alarm used to ring.

“When we realised that it is a real fire, we rushed out taking just our mobile phones. My 7-year old daughter was too scared, but we have managed to escape and we thought it was only a small fire.

“For half an hour, the fire was not very big, but all of a sudden it spread.

“We don’t know what all is burnt in our house, but my neighbours have lost everything.

“The Civil Defence team have started checking each room affected by the fire and they are not allowing people to go back to the evacuated building,” said another resident, who asked to be identified as D’souza only.

“We could not attend office because all of us came out with just our passports, mobile phones and what we were wearing. We don’t know when we can go back and check. I left my flat open,” he said.