Police say banned cladding fueled Sharjah tower fire

  DUBAI – A massive fire broke out in a building in Sharjah’s Al Nahda area on Tuesday evening, with police saying that cladding used in the building may have helped the fire spread quicker. Video footage of the blaze showed the Abcco Tower completely engulfed in flames. Witnesses said the fire started after 9pm. Tenants of the 48-storey residential building have been evacuated as firefighters from the Sharjah Civil Defense rushed to control the blaze. It took firefighters three hours to bring the blaze under control. https://www.expatmedia.net/filipino-left-homeless-sharjah-tower-fire-birthday/2020/05/ Seven people were treated on site for smoke inhalation. Falling debris from the burning building damaged surrounding vehicles. Sharjah Civil Defense officials said that drones were used to ensure that no one in the 328 apartments were trapped or left behind. Tenants said the fire started in the lower floors and spread upwards. Arrangements are underway to provide temporary housing to displaced tenants.

Banned cladding fueled the fire

Meanwhile, police are looking at cladding in the high-rise tower as one of the reasons why the fire quickly spread. According to initial investigation, the building, which was built in 2005, was still using cladding that had been banned in 2017 after it fanned similar fires in other buildings. “The fire spread faster because of the cladding," Colonel Sami Al Naqbi, head of Sharjah Civil Defence, said in a press briefing on Wednesday (May 6). "Since the building is somewhat old, it was installed with the cladding before it was banned four years ago," he added. Brigadier Ahmed Al Serkal, head of forensic laboratory at Sharjah Police, said officials were meeting with government officials to look at the issue. The cause of the fire is still under investigation. ICA/Expat Media
For all the latest news from the UAE and the world, follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram and subscribe to our YouTube 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