AJMAN // The flammable cladding on the two burnt-out Ajman One towers will be replaced over the next two months with fire-retardant cladding, with the hope being that residents can move back into their apartments in the same timeframe.
The new cladding, called A2, will take one month to fit and it adheres to Ajman Civil Defence specifications, said Ghaleb Jaber, general manager of Real Estate Investments Public Corporation, the developer and owner of Ajman One.
“Our contracts with the company that will install the cladding is for 60 days, and we should complete the work during this period. In addition, we have 45 days to install the new window glasses,” he said.
“The safety measures that we are taking is in accordance with the specifications of civil defence and the new cladding has no rubber inside them.”
The March 28 fire destroyed dozens of apartments in the 26-storey towers eight and six. The exact cause of the blaze was not determined by investigators.
An Ajman Police criminal laboratory report found that a flaming material fell from a flat and landed on construction waste in front of Tower Eight, starting the fire, but it could not be said with certainty what that material was, said Brig Sheikh Sultan bin Abdullah Al Nuaimi, commander-in-chief of Ajman Police.
Mr Jaber said a decision is yet to be made on the cladding of the other towers but that the two damaged towers would be ready for inhabitation in two months.
roueiti@thenational.ae