AJMAN // Francis and Jacqueline Candelaria know they were lucky to escape the fire at the Ajman One towers on Monday night, lucky that their flat was one of the few that was left undamaged, and lucky to be alive thanks to their dog, Ollie.
The newly-weds were at home watching television in their 11th floor flat in Tower Eight in when Ollie, a two-year-old Chihuahua, began barking constantly.
“When Ollie started, at first we thought she was barking at our other dog Ortho, a pug, but little did we know that a fire was gutting the tower,” said Mr Candelaria, who added that it was only when he heard sirens outside that he knew something was wrong and then saw the fire.
He and his wife, both from the Philippines, picked up their pets and left the building.
“We just took the dogs and ran out of the apartment. If it wasn’t for Ollie, we might have been stuck,” said Mr Candelaria.
“Our apartment was not damaged, thank God, everything is safe. However, now we have wait and see when we can return to live in this tower,” said the 30-year-old who, along with this wife and two dogs, has moved into his sister’s home in Sharjah.
Layla Al Wawi was in such a rush to flee Tower Eight she only had time to grab a few possessions.
In the panic, she left behind her two cats.
The Jordanian ran from her home on the eighth floor without Dora and Sofiya, who hid from their owner as flames licked at the kitchen window.
“I tried to find them, but the fire blazed in my kitchen and had to run out,” said Ms Al Wawi, who twice had to be stopped from trying to return to the burning tower to find her pets.
Thankfully, and against the odds, she was reunited with Dora.
“I can’t believe Dora is alive. I found her with the help of a police officer. She was hiding under the bed in my apartment,” said the 50-year-old nurse, who was covered in ash as she left her apartment on Wednesday afternoon, clutching her pet.
“Look at her, she didn’t have anything to eat or drink since Monday.”
Ms Al Wawi’s other cat was not so lucky.
“I found Sofiya dead in front of the tower. She had been run over by a car.”
Ms Al Wawi, who works at Rashid Hospital in Dubai, lived in the tower for two years. She – and Dora – are now staying with relatives in Sharjah.
“I am thankful to God and to the police officer who was kind enough to help me.”
tzriqat@thenational.ae
