Cause of devastating Torch tower fire revealed to be a discarded cigarette
Minor source of heat and high winds whipped up flames into a devastating blaze, says director of Civil Defence
The huge fire at The Torch tower was caused by a discarded cigarette, Dubai’s Civil Defence chief said yesterday.
Maj Gen Rashid Al Matroushi, the director of the city’s civil defence, said investigations concluded that a burning cigarette led to the blaze on August 4 that forced hundreds of residents out of their homes in the early hours of the morning as firefighters battled for hours to get it under control.
Dubai Police said that a cigarette butt fell and landed on a balcony plant, igniting a fire that spread from the 26th floor with the help of the wind.
There were no casualties in the blaze in Dubai Marina, although authorities said it damaged 38 apartments over 64 floors, up to the 85th.
Maj Gen Abdullah Al Marri, commander in chief of Dubai Police, said yesterday that tower security guards would soon have to be trained in fire safety. He said that guards at The Torch did not help to evacuate the building but that was something that they could help with in the future.
“There are plans to recruit security guards at towers who have a certificate related to safety measures at towers, including fire safety,” he said.
We suspect that a person threw a cigarette butt and it landed on a plant at a balcony at The Torch tower, which caused the fire MAJ GEN ABDULLAH AL MARRI Commander-in-chief of Dubai Police
Dubai’s fire chief yesterday said that a recklessly thrown away cigarette caused the blaze at The Torch tower this month.
The fire, which forced 475 people from their homes and prompted an outpouring of support from the community, was caused by the cigarette falling on to balcony plants and setting them alight.
Officials said that high winds helped the fire to take hold and the building’s flammable cladding may also have played a part.
“The Torch fire was caused by a minor source of heat and wind ignited the fire,” said Maj Gen Rashid Al Matroushi, director of Dubai Civil Defence.
Maj Gen Abdullah Al Marri, commander-in-chief of Dubai Police, said: “We suspect that a person threw a cigarette butt and it landed on a plant on a balcony at The Torch tower, which caused the fire.”
There were no casualties in the blaze in Dubai Marina on August 4, although authorities said it had damaged 38 apartments over 64 floors, up to the 85th storey.
But there were deaths in other Dubai fires this year. Gen Al Matroushi said four people had died and 66 had been injured in blazes so far this year.
This compares with four dead and 25 injured last year and seven dead and 35 injured in fires in 2015, Dubai Civil Defence said.
The fire chief said his department had responded to 57 incidents in the first eight months of this year, most of them minor.
“The fires took place in one high-rise tower, 10 buildings, nine under-construction sites, 15 commercial facilities, 14 residential establishments and other areas,” Gen Al Matroushi said.
“The two main causes of fires in Dubai are poor electric circuits and tossing cigarettes recklessly.”
Al Quoz, Al Satwa and Al Karama were the areas where most fires have occurred.
“Dubai Civil Defence has achieved significant results in protecting people’s lives and putting down fires in a record time,” Gen Al Matroushi said. “The Civil Defence officials and firefighters concentrate mainly on protecting people’s lives and providing the best techniques to stop fires.”
Fifty-four people were affected by smoke inhalation, the main cause of deaths in fires, while four suffered from minor burns in blazes this year, Civil Defence said.
Ten firefighters were injured while battling fires this year, 27 in 2016 and 10 in 2015.