Dubai: Some residents allowed back into Al Barsha building after massive fire

The blaze ripped through several apartments in the building behind Mall of the Emirates

A day after a massive fire ripped through it, the area around the Saleh bin Lahej building in Al Barsha wore an eerie silence. There were tapes barring entry into the tower and all the shops including a mobile shop and grocery store remained shut. A fire truck and police vehicle were parked in the vicinity.

Several residents were seen entering the building and leaving with suitcases and bags filled with essential items. 

“Since morning, I have seen people coming and picking up essentials and leaving,” said Mohammed, who works at a nearby establishment. “Some dropped off their family members at the building and returned to pick them while others came in taxis and stayed for a while packing up their belongings. Most of them look absolutely distraught and understandably so.”

On Tuesday afternoon, a massive fire ripped through the building damaging several apartments. “It was around 2pm and I was just sitting in my office when I noticed the smoke,” he said. “Within minutes I saw people running. There were flames falling out of the building. Since it was the afternoon, there were not many people inside the building. Authorities were on the scene in minutes.”

Later Dubai Civil Defence deployed its advanced ‘Shaheen’ drones to assist in cooling down the 15-storey building. 

Helping out

Indian expat Suman was near the building on Wednesday with her husband. “Since morning, they have been allowing people back into the building,” she said. “My husband and I decided to come and stand here in case anyone needed any help.”

The couple were residents of the 13-storey Al Zarooni Building on Halim Street which caught fire after a blast in a cafeteria below the building. “At the time, we struggled a lot with no place to go and not being able to access the building,” she recalled. “We wanted to see if anyone here needed any help. Since morning, we have been sticking around but most of the people living in this building seem to have got alternative places to stay. This building was very strict with only families allowed and no partitions permitted. So, there were not too many people in the building.”

According to online reports, the building consisted of one- and two-bedroom apartments with several facilities including a gym and swimming pool. The rents in the building, located behind Mall of the Emirates, ranged from Dh60,000 to Dh105,000.