Faulty electrical outlets and cigarette butts were the main causes of 232 fires in Dubai so far this year that caused the death of four people in villa fires said Major General Rashid Thani Al Matroushi, Director-General of the Dubai Civil Defence in a recent report.
According to statistics, 66 people were injured in the fires due to inhalation of smoke.
Of the 232 fires this year, 215 were listed as minor, nine were moderate and 8 were recorded as serious.
Major General Rashid Thani Al Matroushi said that serious injuries and deaths occurred in villa fires, not in tower fires, because of the smart systems installed in most of Dubai towers.
He continued: “There is no fear about fires in towers in Dubai because they have solid systems to extinguish fires compared to villa houses. During the Torch Tower blaze, the flames did not spread into the flats because of the smart extinguishing system; they spread outside only. The alarm system worked immediately when fires erupted in the towers which helped to evacuate the residents without casualties.”
According to Dubai Civil Defence statistics, most fires occurred in Al Karama area this year and the average response time to fires was nine minutes. Fire officials are working on a plan to prevent villa fires, including safety systems and using nanotechnology.
Dubai boy honoured for the rescue of three brothers from house fire
A Dubai boy is being hailed as a hero for saving the lives of his three brothers when a fire broke out in their family home in Al Ghusais recently.
Dubai Police praised 12-year-old Emirati Masoud Nasser Al Mazroui for evacuating his brothers and then going back into the house to fight the blaze before Civil Defence firefighters arrived on the scene.
Dubai Police honoured him with a certificate for his heroic actions. Masoud and his three brothers, aged two, four and eight, were alone in the house as their parents had stepped out when the youngest brother, who was playing with a lighter, accidentally ignited a set of curtains.
Masoud saw flames spreading near his little brother and rushed to rescue him. He took him outside the house before rushing back and evacuating his other two brothers. He then warned the maid about the fire and joined her in trying to prevent the blaze from spreading using cooking pots filled with water. The neighbours noticed the smoke and called the Dubai Police command room. Civil Defence firefighters and Police patrols rushed to the house and extinguished the fire.
Brigadier Yousuf Al Adidi, Director of Al Ghusais police station, praised the boy for his quick thinking in a crisis. “What he did was heroic. He saved the lives of his little brothers while the flames were spreading in the house. He was clever in asking the housemaid to help him in controlling the fire till the arrival of the authorities. He is an example of what people should do in emergency situations.”
Nasser Al Mazroui, the boy’s father, thanked Dubai Police and expressed pride in his son’s actions.
For more information, go to www.dcd.gov.ae
Top image: Masoud Nasser Al Mazroui receiving his award from Officers of the Dubai Police.
About the Author
Neil Wallington is a former British Chief Fire Officer, a Past International President of the Institution of Fire Engineers, and a holder of the Queen’s Commendation for Brave Conduct. He is the author of 17 books on the work of the fire service, and acts as a consultant with extensive experience in the Gulf on a range of projects.
