DUBAI: Guests staying at a popular luxury hotel in Dubai were evacuated as emergency services tackled a fire – the third such incident to hit the city in four days.
Smoke could be seen coming out of an upper level window of the Movenpick Hotel on Dubai’s Jumeirah Beach Residences (JBR), in what was described as a small fire, on Monday morning.
Fire at the Mövenpick. Hope everyone is safe! #Dubai pic.twitter.com/Ys37ZZE2Pe
— Tinia Nassif (@webteee) August 7, 2017
Members of the fire and ambulance services attended the incident, as staff and guests gathered outside the building. No one was hurt in the incident.
“The fire was swiftly brought under control & guests & staff were safely evacuated. Our gratitude to Civil Defense,” the hotel stated on its Twitter account.
And the Dubai Media office confirmed the incident, tweeting: “Dubai Civil Defense has put out a minor fire which started on a balcony of Tiger Tower in the Marina. No injuries were reported.”
Dubai Civil Defence has put out a minor fire which started on a balcony of Tiger Tower in the Marina. No injuries were reported.
— Dubai Media Office (@DXBMediaOffice) August 6, 2017
Monday’s fire is the third around the Dubai Marina area in four days. In the Early hours of Friday morning a blaze engulfed one corner of the Torch Tower – the second fire to hit the building in as many years.
On Sunday another minor incident was reported at the nearby Tiger Tower, which happened at around noon on the 53rd floor of the 73-story tower.
No injuries were reported at that incident either, and all residents were evacuated while members of the emergency services extinguished the small fire which started on a balcony, according to local newspaper reports.
One resident told the UAE daily Gulf News after Sunday’s incident: “It’s a little bit scary. I’ve been in this apartment for just over a year. Obviously, when I came downstairs, I was shocked and I had to ask, ‘Really, there’s fire on my building?’ And obviously another fire happened here (Torch Tower) the other day. We get quite anxious and quite scared.”
The biggest blaze was in the early hours of Friday morning, when residents of the Torch Tower were forced to evacuate as flames spread up the side of the building, causing burning debris to fall onto vehicles below.
#BREAKING : #Dubai Torch Tower hit by fire againhttps://t.co/xu01JTFr0b #DubaiTorch pic.twitter.com/o7Ktpvt22g
— Arab News (@Arab_News) August 3, 2017
Speaking on Friday after the Torch incident a Jordanian man, who works as a tour guide, but asked not to be named for fear of retribution, told Arab News: “This is very bad for Dubai’s reputation, this is very bad for business. We rely entirely on tourism and these fires are going to make people think before they come here.
“London’s fire was bad, but the economy there is not reliant on tourism to the same extent as Dubai.”
Other residents confirmed Friday that they had recently received notification from the building’s management that the 2015 fire spread more easily because the cladding was not fire retardant.
The company had told the residents in the circular that work would start, fitting new fire retardant cladding. It is unclear what will happen now, following Friday’s incident.
However temporary accommodation is being provided for Torch Tower residents, UAE daily The National reported, citing the tower’s management company.
And according to the report Kingfield Owner Association Management Services was unable on Sunday to say when residents would be allowed to return to their flats following Friday’s blaze.
“The majority of residents have taken up emergency accommodation in nearby hotels and arrangements are being extended until further notice from Dubai Civil Defense,” Anel-Carline Beukes, head of compliance and communication told the newspaper.
The series of building fires further raises questions about the safety of high rise buildings and the cladding materials that have been used in the UAE, Gulf region and further afield.
