DUBAI // Guests at The Address Downtown Dubai said they heard no alarms on New Year’s Eve as the hotel went up in flames.
Some said they were alerted to the fire because of shouts from hotel staff or from seeing it outside. Developer Emaar disputed the claims.
Sameer Khan, a Tanzanian businessman who had planned to watch the Burj Khalifa fireworks from the hotel, said staff banged on his door and told him to leave.
“We ran out in our slippers. There was no time to take anything from the safe, even our passports,” he said.“People were crying, we heard them but we didn’t hear any alarm.”
Others were sitting in a lounge when they saw the fire climb outside of the building.
“My husband was not feeling well and went to check his [blood] pressure,” said US tourist Diana Torossian. “We saw the fire move very fast. There was no fire alarm that we heard.”
Fourteen people suffered minor injuries, one sustained a moderate injury and another had a heart attack because of the fire, police said.
The efforts of the hotel staff and civil defence in coordinating a quick evacuation were commended by the guests.
Some said they would have had some time to retrieve passports and documents if they had heard an alarm.
“I thought they [the hotel] were practising for fireworks when I smelt smoke, then we saw flames and I helped some women to go down the staircase. I did not hear any alarm,” said Slipsakorn, a Thai visitor.
German Axel Selchert and his wife were among the first guests cleared from a restaurant.
“We did not hear any fire alarm in the restaurant,” he said. “When we were still inside, we did not see the fire directly but noticed some burning things fall down from above, outside of the building.”
An Emaar spokeswoman reiterated that the alarms did sound.
“Emaar adheres to all safety standards regarding fire systems, as per the regulations. Our systems, across all properties, are regularly tested by third-party entities and cleared. We also undertake periodic drills, above the call of mandatory requirements, to ensure the safety of our guests and residents.”
rtalwar@thenational.ae
