Major Fire in Sharjah Residential Tower

By Amna Husain
News Editor
The Pawprint

On 1 October, Friday, a large fire destroyed 26 floors of Al Nasser Tower in Sharjah. The fire, which started at 2:15pm and spread upwards, destroyed all residential levels of the 32-storey building, as well as four cars on the parking levels. No casualties were reported, but 40 people had to be treated for smoke inhalation.

The fire caused the homes of 250 families to be destroyed, and the Emirates Red Crescent has provided temporary accommodation in hotels for these families. The residents were permitted to return on Saturday and Sunday to retrieve what was left of their valuables. “The officials allowed us to go back and get our belongings. We were only allowed 30 minutes. We gathered whatever we could and came down. We had walk up and down the stairs of 17 floors,” said Rabia, a resident of the tower.

Residents reported that the building did not have any fire protection equipment. There were no fire extinguishers or alarms. Many people were not aware of the fire until they heard the panic of other residents, or smelled smoke. “I opened my door to see what was going on and found residents making a dash towards the staircase and at the same time screaming that the building is on fire,” said a resident who wished to remain anonymous.

Due to the lack of safety measures, many previous tenants will not be returning to the building following the fire. “I will not live here again, not after what happened,” said Ahmed Samara, previous tenant of the Al Nasser Tower.

Numerous residents had all of their belongings destroyed. “Our apartment was burnt completely, all our important documents such as passports and certificates were turned to ashes,” said Sanna Saeed. Saeed no longer wishes to live in the tower.

Though everyone in the building survived the fire, many suffered breathing difficulties and other minor injuries, which could have been avoided with proper safety measures.