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Two Emirati children die in Fujairah villa fire

Fujairah - Paramedics tried hard to resuscitate the two little brothers but they could not make it.

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Two Emirati siblings, aged three and four, were killed in a massive fire that gutted their house in the Madab area in Fujairah on Monday.

Nabeel Al Saeedi, an uncle of the kids, told Khaleej Times that his nephew Fahad and his niece Hor were in their room on the top floor of their two-storey house when the fire broke out.

"The kids were screaming for help," he said.

"My sister and her son rushed to the top floor but they could't open the door. The two kids were trapped inside as the heavy smoke filled their room."

Ali A, a family relative, said the children's parents were at work when the incident happened and they were with their grandmother. "The grandmother was old and could not help them."

Mohamad Abdullah, a neighbour, heard their grandmother screaming. "We saw dense smoke coming out of the house and alerted the civil defence who arrived at the scene within minutes."

When the firefighters arrived, they broke the window open, found the kids under their bed, and pulled them out.

Brigadier Ali Obaid Al Tunaiji, director of the Fujairah Civil Defence Department, said the central operations room of the Fujairah Police was alerted of the fire at 10.30am.

The firefighters cordoned off the house to prevent the flames from spreading to nearby houses, and the paramedics tried to resuscitate the kids.

The case was then referred to the police authorities.

In June 2013, a twin three-year-old brothers also died of suffocation when a fire erupted at the basement of their house at the Qadfa area in Fujairah.

Seven Emirati children aged between five and 13 years suffocated to death in the wee hours of January 22 last year after a fire broke out at their villa. According to the Fujairah Civil Defence, the AC in the children's room had a short circuit which caused the fire. The four boys and three girls died as they slept.

Incidents that shocked UAE

- 24 Jun, 2019: Two Emirati brothers suffocated to death, after their villa caught fire in Fujairah
- 15 Apr, 2019: Six Pakistani men, including four of a family, were killed in Al Ain villa fire

- 12 Nov, 2018: Two people died of suffocation after a massive fire broke out at a villa in Sharjah

- 7 Sep, 2018: A 39-year-old Emirati man suffocated to death in Fujairah villa fire

- 22 Jan, 2018: Seven Emirati kids choke to death in Fujairah villa fire

- 7 May, 2017: Two Pakistani children died in a fire that erupted in their home in Sharjah

- 9 Apr, 2017: Five-year-old Emirati girl was killed in a fire that broke out in a villa in Dubai

- 14 Mar, 2017: Twin sisters died in a villa fire in Dubai

- 23 Oct, 2016: Three women from a prominent Emirati family in Sharjah died after their villa caught fire

Tips to keep your homes fire-safe

- Ensure use of approved and high quality electrical devices, equipment and wiring
· Ensure windows are kept without bars as they could be used as exits during fire emergency
· Never leave electrical wires uninsulated or run them under the carpet. Ensure wires and cables are well maintained
· Keep minimum one-metre distance between any fire or heat source and inflammable items
· Homes and villas should have external exits
· Unblock fire exits
· Unplug electrical wires from sockets if not in use and switch off to prevent children from reaching them
· Unsafe use of candles and fumigators is considered as one of the main causes of fire since it might come in direct contact with fabrics of inflammable materials
Safety in the kitchen
· Stay in the kitchen if the stove in on
· Cook oil and grease slowly and watch it closely while it heats
· It is necessary to leave at least a one-metre distance between source of heat and inflammable items
· Keep children away from stoves and hot food
· Avoid smoking in the kitchen
· Maintain proper and effective ventilation in the kitchen
· Keep at least one fire extinguisher in kitchen
· In case of gas leakage in the kitchen, close the gas valve tightly. Locate the source of the leak and call a technician
ahmedshaaban@khaleejtimes.com