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Abu Dhabi villa fire happened when men went for prayer

Abu Dhabi - The fire claimed eight lives and four escaped with injuries.

The male residents of an ill-fated villa in Abu Dhabi - where a fire claimed eight lives on Tuesday - were at a local mosque offering the morning prayer when the tragedy happened, relatives told Khaleej Times.
Nasir Al Mahri, 50, a relative who works with the Abu Dhabi Media, said three male members of the villa in Bani Yas were at the mosque when the fire broke out.
"They were shocked when they returned to find the house on fire. Huge black smoke had engulfed the whole house," said Al Mahri.
He noted that before the firefighters had arrived, one relative and two neighbours had tried to reach the upper floor through heavy smoke to save the victims.
The Abu Dhabi Police said the massive fire broke out in the two-storeyed villa in the early hours of Tuesday, during Fajr prayers.
There were 12 people in the house when the fire broke out. Eight people were killed and four escaped with injuries. They are currently being treated in the hospital.
The victims included three women named Khawlah Salem Musallam Al Kathiri, 38, a teacher; his brother's wife, Iman Hamid, 37, a housewife; and Thamna Hamid, 21, a university student. The five children - Fatima, Ayeh, Fatimah, Salem and Rams - were aged between one and eight.
They were all buried at Baniyas Graveyard at 7pm on Tuesday after residents performed the funeral prayers.
On Wednesday, friends and residents from across the UAE and Oman visited the family in a huge tent set up in the family neighbourhood to offer their condolences.
Abdullah Hamid, 27-year-old brother of Iman Hamid, said he was in Salalah in Oman when he heard about the tragic death of his elder sister and her son.
"It is such a painful incident. I was shocked when I received the news about the death of my sister and all other family members," said Hamid.
"It took me hours to get back to normalcy. I had to drive during the afternoon with friends to return to Abu Dhabi, but we could reach only at night after the burial."
He said his sister was a friendly and kind person. "She loved kids and cared so much about all her siblings. May the almighty Allah have mercy on her soul," he added.
Al Mahri said: "Khawlah Al Kathiri was a teacher in an Abu Dhabi school and she died in the fire along with her three children."
Suhail Saeed, a 50-year-old Emirati resident of Khalifa City who came to offer condolences to the family, said friends and relatives gathering in such big numbers to comfort the family of the deceased is part of the Emirati culture and norms. "We will be here for three days to mourn with the family," he said.
Ahmed Al Ameri, a friend of the victims' family, urged authorities to increase awareness about the dangers of home fires and teach people on what to do in case a fire breaks out including skills to rescue others.
"Residents should also be encouraged to instal modern fire alarms and smoke detectors in their homes to protect their lives and avoid such tragedies in the future," said Al Ameri.
ismail@khaleejtimes.com