A massive fire broke out in a residential building in Dubai’s Al Ras area on Saturday afternoon, leaving 16 people dead and nine people injured. The Dubai Civil Defense authority teams dealt with the fire immediately and provided emergency aid to the injured, according to a report by Arabic daily Al Bayan. A spokesman for the Dubai Civil Defense said that the teams ‘moved immediately after receiving the report, and arrived at the site of the accident within six minutes, where they immediately began dealing with the fire,’ according to the report. Preliminary investigations of the building fire showed that there were violations by the owner of the building, in terms of security and safety requirements. The spokesperson said that the fire was controlled at exactly 2:42 minutes yesterday afternoon (Saturday), after which the cooling operations began. The spokesperson explained that the Dubai Civil Defense Operations Room was notified of the fire at 12:35PM on Saturday afternoon. The Al Ras Fire Station arrived as the first responder and the competent authority, bringing the team to the site of the accident at exactly 12:41PM. The fire emerged from an apartment on the fourth floor, the report said, adding that the Port Saeed Fire Station and the Hamriyah Fire Station were moved for support and attribution. ‘The specialised teams immediately began evacuating and fighting the fire, and at exactly 2:42 pm yesterday, a signal was received from the field commander of the incident, in which he stated that the fire had been brought under control, and that the site would be handed over to the competent authorities, upon completion of the cooling operations, according to the procedures followed,’ the report said. The Dubai Civil Defense department emphasised the crucial role of property owners and residents in following the security and safety guidelines for their residential and commercial buildings. This compliance is essential in preventing accidents that may result from not following these guidelines and ultimately ensuring the protection of both lives and property. The authority extended their condolences and sympathy to the families and relatives of the deceased, while making it clear that it was done immediately, the report said.

Source: National News Agency – Lebanon