High-rise residents sleep easier after safety checks

More than 100 apartments were severely damaged by a blaze in the 86-storey The Torch building in Dubai, in February. Fire safety measures have been enhanced across the emirate. Ali Haider / EPA

DUBAI // Tenants of high-rise apartments in Dubai Marina and Jumeirah Lakes Towers (JLT) say they feel more comfortable with the enforcement of fire safety rules in their buildings.

“We’ve had several fire drills this year. It feels like we have one every few weeks. The fire extinguishers inside the apartment and in the hallways have been regularly inspected and tested,” said Shohreh K, who lives in JLT.

The Iranian said she was more worried about human carelessness causing a fire than by safety systems failing.

“Most of the fires we’ve had seemed to result from a lack of common sense and grossly negligent behaviour. I just hope that I don’t live next to such nonsensical people.”

Many residents said safety measures had been enhanced after major fires in built-up areas. They included a blaze at the 86-storey The Torch building in February, one of the tallest residential towers in the world, that left more than 100 apartments severely damaged.

In 2012, a large fire gutted the 34-storey Tamweel Tower in JLT after a cigarette butt was dropped in a pile of rubbish. Residents are still awaiting permission to return to the building.

M A, 55, a property developer working in Dubai, said residents had nothing to worry about.

“You spend millions building some of the tallest skyscrapers in the world – you are not going to cut down on fire safety,” he said.

“There are strict safety measures in place enforced by the authorities.”

But away from the steel and glass towers of new Dubai, people said fire safety checks were not as thorough, particularly in places such as Al Satwa and Al Qusais.

J K, an Indian watchman at a building in Al Satwa, said fire extinguishers had not been inspected in two years, while fire drills had not been carried out or alarms tested since he started working there three years ago.

“I’m not sure what the requirements are but I think the building is safe,” he said.

In June, Dubai Civil Defence announced more than 40,000 buildings across the emirate had been equipped with the Dubai Life Safety Dashboard.

It allows the authority, government departments, building owners and residents to view the safety status of buildings on smart devices to see whether sprinkler systems are working correctly.