Gritty man rescues his wife and 6 children from UAE house fire

Grit and presence of mind of an Emirati father helped him save his family, including six children and wife, from a fire that broke out in the kitchen of the house in Al Ain's Hili area. The incident occurred at 2am on Saturday.
The fire was caused by a gas cylinder which was left open after use, authorities in Al Ain revealed. One of the Emirati man's daughters forgot to close the gas cylinder tap after preparing meal, they said.
The wife was in the hall when she noticed huge smoke coming out of the kitchen. She immediately informed her husband, who rushed to disconnect the electricity power.
He evacuated his six children and wife from the house and informed the police about the blaze.
Before the police and civil defence teams could arrive, the man managed to get the water hose and controlled the flames from spreading to other parts of the house. He had doused half of the blaze when the fire fighters took over.
No family member was injured in the fire which caused huge damage to the house.
Authorities said the man's agility to evacuate his family members and courage to put out part of the blaze as well as the quick response of the civil defence teams helped in saving lives and preventing massive loss of property.
Follow safety norms
The Abu Dhabi Civil Defence had earlier urged residents to comply with gas cylinder safety requirements to prevent fire incidents during the current hot weather.
Officials said homeowners and establishments should handle cooking gas cylinders properly while following safety guidelines during their transportation, storage, and use to avoid gas leak and cylinder explosions due to high temperature, officials pointed out.
The department also asked families to ensure cylinders were kept in safe locations, and out of the reach of children.
Authorities advised home and shop owners to place their cylinders at the ground level, outdoors or in a well-ventilated area and away from direct sunlight.
"Home owners and restaurants should ensure the safety norms of cooking stoves, check gas pipes and not leave the cylinders exposed to sun rays," said officials.
"Families should always close gas cylinders before leaving the house. They should not be placed near emergency outlets or glass doors. Also, don't place more than two gas cylinders of 24kg at one place."
Residents were reminded to install gas detectors in their kitchens to help detect leaks early and avoid explosions.

• Abu Dhabi

Ismail Sebugwaawo

ismail@khaleejtimes.com