Dubai firefighter tells of ‘mission’ to save photographer trapped in Address hotel fire

This content was originally posted in 7DAYS UAE website at: Dubai firefighter tells of ‘mission’ to save photographer trapped in Address hotel fire A firefighter who rescued a photographer trapped on the 48th floor of the Address Downtown has described his two-hour effort to locate the man as “his mission”. Hassan Abbas al Baloushi, 31, saved Filipino snapper Dennis Mallari from the flaming 63-floor building after receiving a call that he was trapped on a balcony. Mallari – who was strapped to the outside of the balcony with a photographer’s belt – made global headlines after posting a video of his terrifying New Year’s Eve ordeal. In the video Hassan can be seen emerging from the thick smoke and grabbing Mallari as the building burned around them. Speaking of the rescue for the first time, veteran officer Hassan told 7DAYS he arrived at the Address to be told someone was trapped. He said: “My call originally was to firefight but when I got information that someone was trapped, he was my priority…he was my mission.” Hassan, who used breathing apparatus sporadically on his ascent, continued: “I got information that someone was trapped on 48, and once I got there, I checked on the balcony, a balcony for pumps I believe, and I saw tripods and camera case, but nobody [was there]. “I could see the smoke and see the fire, and I was calling out ‘fire department, call out’. “But nobody could hear, so I continued up.” On the 53rd floor, after meeting more firefighters who had already cleared the area, he returned to the 48th floor on a hunch. He said: “It was the same view – the same balcony. But this time… well thank god I came back and found him. “He was hanging from a rope like they use to clean the windows, hooked by his belt. “I looked down and saw that he was standing on something like a wall and I had to grab him from his belt.” He leaned out over the balcony and grabbed Mallari, saying: “This is the moment that you cannot think! He touched the floor and he was like “thank god”. Hassan said he helped Mallari, who works for the Arabic newspaper Al Bayan, keep a cool head by talking to him about camera equipment, and placing his own helmet on him in case of falling debris. He said: “I couldn’t hear or see the first time so thank god I came back and I found him.” Mallari thanked crews in a newspaper interview at the weekend, saying: “When I finally saw the Civil Defence’s shadows on the wall, I knew I was safe. I couldn’t believe it. I praised God.” chris.fraser@7days.ae Read the original story at: Dubai firefighter tells of ‘mission’ to save photographer trapped in Address hotel fire