Residents get access to belongings
dubai — Tenants of Dubai Marina’s Torch Tower, which caught fire in the early hours on Friday, have now been granted access to retrieve their belongings, with priority access given to certain resident needs.
An internal memo sent from Kingfield Owner Association Management Services, the management company of Torch Tower, said that residents in need for medications, pregnant women and families, or those who required passports or documents to travel in the next two days will be given priority to enter. “[On Friday], the authorities provided access to residents to gather valuable and urgent items from apartments up to the 70th floor. [On Saturday], access continues up to the 80th floor (as informed by Dubai Civil Defense),” the memo read.
Residents were asked to register with the Dubai Police directly on arrival at the site, to gain access to their apartments. They will be accompanied by the security to their respective flats. A mobile police station has also been set up on-site to help residents report loss of belongings or voice concerns without going to the nearest police station. To avoid waiting, the company recommended that only residents needing urgent access visit the tower earlier in the day, and that remaining residents go in later.
Cause of fire unknown yet
Brigadier Khalil Al Mansouri, head of CID at Dubai Police, told Khaleej Times that expert teams are on site to determine the cause of the fire. He added that Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, personally followed up the incident and ensured that tenants are sheltered in the “best hotels.”
Dubai Civil Defence officials said the fire started from the 26th floor, moving upwards from the south-west corner. The fire affected 38 apartments and 64 floors, with slight damages on the interiors of the 83th and 84th floor.
sherouk@khaleejtimes.com