Dozens lose their belongings in blaze at Abu Dhabi labour accommodation
Dozens of men have lost their belongings in a fire that gutted labour accommodation in Al Reef yesterday, the third blaze in the area in nine months.
The camp was home to 1,000 Indian, Pakistani and Bangladeshi workers employed by Dhabi Contracting company.
The fire broke at out around 9am, said witnesses. Three hours later, civil defence teams were still fighting the blaze. Workers believe about 40 rooms were destroyed. Dozens watched as their belongings burnt.
“I don’t know how much, but the company will give us something,” said a construction worker from Pakistan, who has lived in the UAE for 12 years.
“Everybody lost something, but some lost more than others. We are waiting here while the company does something.”
He said he lost Dh200 or Dh300 in the fire, money he had set aside as expenses this month. He earns Dh1,600 a month with overtime and shares a room with seven others.
The fire was spread quickly by the wind, said witnesses.
“I was in the room when the fire started,” said an Indian carpenter from Bihar. “I grabbed two or three items but could not get much because the wind was coming.”
He lost Dh500. He earns Dh1,000 a month with overtime.
“The company told us they will arrange something for us,” he said. “I still don’t know what, but we will see this evening.”
By the end of the day, the building they had called home was collapsing.
“Of course we compensated them for their belongings and we moved them to a new place,” said a company official.
On January 6, a fire in the Dhabi Contracting compound destroyed the accommodation for 200 employees. They said they received Dh100 each and were moved to new accommodation in Dubai.
In April, 160 workers lost their belongings in a fire in Al Reef caused by an electrical short circuit. After the fire, men relied on friends and colleagues to loan them money for food and essentials.
The official confirmed it was the third fire at this labour camp. It was not specified whether the first fire was the April blaze.