M.K. was fast asleep when he woke up to the incessant ringing of the fire alarm in his building at 3.30 in the morning. On hearing the commotion outside his fifth-floor apartment, he woke up his wife and three-year-old son and made a dash for the stairs.

“I just grabbed a bag with my phone and keys before running out with my wife and son,” he told Khaleej Times. “I am just grateful that no one was injured.”

Meanwhile, another resident Jihad said after being awakened by the fire alarms, he looked out of the window of his 17th floor apartment and saw the flames. “The entire side was on fire, so I just ran outside and woke my neighbour up,” he said. “The lift wasn’t working so the two of us ran down a total of 21 floors, including the four floors of parking.”

Waiting and watching

Many residents said they were waiting for the cooling process to be completed and allowed back into the building.

M.K and his family had been inside their car for more than six hours.

“We are just waiting and watching what will happen,” he said. “Luckily, our apartment is safe, and we can go back inside once the police completes the formalities. However, one of my neighbours on the fourth floor was sick with worry. His flat was one of those that had been badly burnt. He sent his family to a relative’s house here and he is waiting to be given the go-ahead so that he can see if he can retrieve any of his documents.”

Jihad and his neighbour N.A were seated on the footpath when KT caught up with them. “We just got our phones before running out,” said N.A. “In fact, I wasn’t even sure if the alarm was real because in the past the alarm has rang for cooking smoke. So I was unsure what to do but then I started smelling the burnt smell and that is when Jihad came and called me.”

Quick response

According to the Dubai Civil Defence, firefighters from Al Barsha station arrived at the spot in under six minutes and evacuated the tenants safely. Emergency personnel from two other fire stations arrived at the site to help put out the medium-intensity blaze.

The fire was brought under control at 5.23am, and it was put out completely a little over an hour after. The firefighting authority said cooling operations are currently underway, following which the site will be handed over to the authorities concerned.

Jihad said that the response of the police was tremendous. “Not only were there police officers and Civil Defense, but there was also a mobile coffee shop,” he said. “The police handed out water, drinks and coffee to all the residents. It was really a welcome relief for everyone.”

Photos and videos shot by residents showed the fire raging through the left side of the multi-storey tower. According to residents, the inhabitants of some affected apartments have been moved to alternative accommodations. “We heard that those people whose apartments were burnt have been moved to hotels,” said N.A.