Owner to demolish fire-hit villa in Baniyas
Al Kotheiri plans to rebuild house where eight members of his family died on October 2
The owner of the villa in Baniyas that recently caught fire killing eight members of a family will demolish his house and rebuild it as the family members don’t want to live in it.
The family members say the villa reminds them of the tragedy on October 2 and want to start a fresh life.
Speaking to Gulf News, Ali Badawi Al Kotheiri, the owner of the villa, said, “We are going to demolish the villa and rebuild it as my family doesn’t want to reside there as it takes them back to the tragic day.”
Recounting the ordeal of finding his home in flames when he returned after performing Fajr prayer, Al Kotheiri said, “Now we are living in our relative’s house and I am trying to obtain necessary permits from the municipal authorities to initiate the process of demolition.”
‘Not possible to live there’
“Eight people of my family died in that villa, it’s not possible to live there until the tragedy fades from our minds,” he said.
On October 2, an early morning blaze ripped through the villa on the outskirts of the capital in which eight people from an Emirati family were killed, including five children and three women.
The house is located in Baniyas, East 7 district, opposite Al ■ ■ Emam Al Nawawi Mosque on the outskirts of the capital.
Baniyas is an old densely populated neighbourhood outside Abu Dhabi where mostly Emiratis reside.
Al Kotheiri said they have decided to demolish the villa and rebuild it with a different design so that it wouldn’t remind the family of the incident.
But he said the family would return only after reconstruction of the villa with new halls, lobby and doors is complete.
Al Kotheri said, “Currently my family is living in my brother’s and daughter’s house in the same neighbourhood.”