Dubai fire prompts UAE-wide building inspections

Staff Writer

9 years ago

The major blaze at The Address Downtown hotel in Dubai on New Year’s Eve has prompted a nationwide inspection campaign to ensure fire safety, it has been reported.

Jamal Ahmed Ibrahim, director of preventive safety at Dubai Civil Defence, said on Tuesday that the Ministry of Interior has set up a committee to start the UAE survey, which will include new inspections of building cladding.

“We are doing a survey for all buildings in the UAE, not only in Dubai, and we will see the reports, so if there is any building with any issue, we will find solutions,” he was quoted as saying by the UAE daily 7DAYS.

Dubai Civil Defence has been examining the cladding on the 63-storey building, which Ibrahim said “did not follow the specifications, which could explain why the fire spread so quickly,” according to 7DAYS.

He cautioned that that was a preliminary observation and that it had not been officially confirmed, because the investigation into the fire is still ongoing.

Emaar, the developer of The Address hotel, said all its buildings meet the required standards.

“All our buildings are developed as per the specifications by the concerned authorities. The buildings are tested periodically and cleared for adhering to the regulatory standards,” a spokesperson told The National. “We will await the final and official report instead of speculating.”

A major blaze swept through the 63-storey hotel and residences building late on December 31, causing considerable damage but no loss of life, according to authorities.

Officials say a total of fourteen people suffered minor injuries, with one moderate injury, while another person had a heart attack because of the fire.