Hundreds left without homes in Dubai apartment building fire

Hundreds of people are facing months without homes after a huge fire tore through their Dubai apartment building, setting off gasoline canisters. As many as 400 residents of the Al Shamsi building in Muraqabbat, Deira are facing up to 12 weeks in temporary accommodation, Dubai Police said yesterday, following Monday night’s blaze. As fire crews continued to dampen the flames on Tuesday morning, police officers said that the residents of 48 apartments affected by the blaze will have to be rehoused. Officials said each of the flats contained between six and nine people. Many residents, including night workers, had been in bed and fled wearing only their pyjamas as the fire spread about 6pm on Monday. Dubai Civil Defence said it had been brought until control by 11pm although hoses continued to douse the ageing, low-rise building throughout Tuesday. RELATED: Dubai apartment building fire coverage Police said building owner Hamad Al Shami would pay for the occupants of all 48 apartments to stay in hotels for up to three months. 7DAYS spoke to several residents who said they had lost all of their belongings, including their passports. Another group of flatmates lost Dhs5,000 of new furniture along with all of their clothes, rescuing just two jackets. Brigadier Mohammed Al Murr, director of the Human Rights Department at Dubai Police, said residents had been rehomed as of Tuesday. He said: “The owner provided the shelter for the families and he will pay the expenses. We are not allowing any resident to enter the building for their own safety because we are still cooling down the building… it was completely burned.” He said fire experts were searching the building and collecting samples to determine the cause. Speaking at the scene of the fire, Al Shamsi told 7DAYS he is working with authorities to also reimburse the residents for belongings that were destroyed. He said he is going to try to “make sure” that the residents affected by the fire are looked after. Al Shamsi said:  “I’m not only helping my own employees that lived in this building, but also everyone else. We aren’t going to just leave them like that.” sarwat@7days.ae and ali.shouk@7days.ae