Abu Dhabi fire victims ordeal sees no end

The ordeal has not ended for the evacuated tenants of a residential building that was partly gutted by a late night fire on Saturday night.
Many residents said they were forced to return to the building that still has no electricity.
"We were told power would be restored by late afternoon. Now it seems we will have to spend the night without electricity," Mariam, a resident said. She said they were asked to vacate the hotel room by afternoon and return to their building.
"I do not know how we can go about our daily business without power. The watchman said the water may also run out soon," she said.
Tenants were evacuated by the Civil Defense forces on Saturday night after fire broke out at 10.11 pm in the eighteen-storey building on the airport road. Though the reason for the fire is under investigation, Major General Jasim Al Marzouqi, Commander General of the UAE Civil Defense told Khaleej Times the fire could have erupted from the restaurant at the ground floor of the building.
Owners of the Rukn Al Sultan Restaurant and Grills could not be contacted for a comment.
When Khaleej Times visited the place yesterday (today) afternoon, the mangled and charred aluminum pieces and broken glasses were lying in heaps beside the building where the fire had erupted.
Tenants were given temporary accommodation for a night at a city hotel apartment in the Al Nahyan area. But by afternoon, many families were back hoping to find their belongings safe.
Residents said they got permission to enter the building after 12pm on Sunday.
"The rooms still smell of smoke. My kitchen window is partly destroyed but I am glad all my belongings are safe," said Sushma Florence, a medical technician living on the fourth floor. But recounting her ordeal the previous night, Florence said she did not get anything to eat till afternoon.
"I am diabetic and was feeling sick without eating. But there was no money to buy food. I had come out of the building with nothing in my hand," said Florence.
Another tenant, Roshini Susan who has a three-month old baby said she had a harrowing time without breakfast at the hotel.
"I even requested them for food as I am breast-feeding. But my please fell on deaf ears," said Susan.
Many are still confused as whether they are entitled to stay for longer at the hotel rooms.
"Nobody is giving us any information. We really do not know what to do," said an Indian tenant with a family.
The owner of the building who gave only his first name as Ahmed said it was the police's responsibility to provide temporary accommodation to tenants.
"If people want to stay in their apartments, they can. I am trying to restore power by tomorrow. But I am also running around to finish the police formalities," said Ahmed.
anjana@khaleejtimes.com
Timeline of Abu Dhabi fire in 2016
March 7, 2016
Fire broke out at dawn at Abu Dhabi Marina Yacht Club. No deaths were reported after the fire broke out in two boats and engulfed six other
March 14, 2016
Abu Dhabi building caught fire after gas cylinder explosion; no reports of any casualties.
March 20, 2016
A huge fire broke out at the fruit and vegetable market in Mina Zayed at dawn. 16 shops damaged
August 10, 2016
The Civil Defence and Rapid Intervention teams on Friday contained a massive fire at two warehouses located behind the Abu Dhabi Cooperative Society branch in Mina area
August 30, 2016
Thirteen people, including ten fire-fighters, suffered from mild suffocation in a fire that broke out in two under-construction buildings in Zahia area in the capital Abu Dhabi.
December 13, 2016
Four people were injured in a fire that erupted in two flats in a five storey residential building in Abu Dhabi. One of the injured sustained serious burns in the fire that was reported on Airport road
 

• Abu Dhabi