Sharjah tower fire leaves 29 gasping for breath

Sharjah - Mostly residents living on the 26th, 27th, 28th, 29, and the top floor of Lamya Tower were affected by the smoke.

At least 29 people, including children, elderly and women had breathing difficulties after a fire broke out Lamya Tower in Al Khan area at 2am Wednesday morning.
They were rushed to Al Qasimi and Kuwaiti hospitals for treatment.
According to a civil defence officer, the fire that started at 2.30am in the garbage room on the 26th floor of the building was quickly brought under control by the Shar-jah Civil Defence firefighters.
Although the blaze was not very huge it was the smoke that caused the residents to choke. Mostly residents living on the 26th, 27th, 28th, 29, and the top floor were affected by the smoke.
Police evacuated the building and cordoned off the area for investigation. The residents spent the night outside their homes. The civil defence rescue team evacuated the residents of the entire building.
Forensic experts of the Sharjah Police are investigating the incident. The initial investigations revealed that one of the residents of the building, who was smoking shisha, threw the remains of charcoal in the garbage room which was full of flammable material.
The official said the building is well equipped with a fire alarm system and followed all fire safety procedures.
Yasser, M a resident of the building, said that they were woken up by heavy smoke and the siren of the fire fighter and decided to leave the building, but the corridor was full of smoke which suffocated children and elderly people.
afkarali@khaleejtimes.comFire