Dubai community lends helping hand after Marina fire

Dubai - Residents and local companies took to Twitter to offer support.

The Dubai community showcased the true spirit of camaraderie on Wednesday, when a fire broke out in one of Dubai Marina's tallest residential buildings.
As shocked residents of the Sulafa Tower gathered on the streets below to watch flames bellow from the 76-storey building, residents and local companies took to Twitter to offer support.
At 3.02pm, after hearing about the residents forced to flee the tower, The Westin Dubai extended a warm welcome to all those affected by the fire. Using its official Twitter handle, @WestinDXBMina, the Marina-based hotel tweeted: "To anyone affected by the #Sulafa tower fire, we are opening up The Westin ballroom should you need temporary shelter and refreshments."
And in response to The Westin's kind gesture, Dubai's popular chauffeur cab service, Careem, informed residents they'd be on hand, free-of-charge, for lifts.
Using the Twitter handle @CareemUAE, it tweeted: "Stay safe! Our Captains are on alert and close by. Free rides for everyone getting out of #DubaiMarina #Sulafa"
Speaking to Khaleej Times, Aura Lunde, General Manager for Careem UAE, said as soon as they heard about the fire, they felt propelled to step in. "The team just felt strongly that this is our town and we can do something to help people. We dropped people off either (at The Westin) or where ever they needed to go."
And with around five colleagues from Careem living in Sulafa Tower, she said it was all about supporting them in a time of need.
"It's going be a tough couple of days. We don't have the exact figures as to how many people we helped ferry about, but the important thing was that we helped people. It's our back yard and we felt we had to do something."
Dubai resident, Moey Shawash, also felt compelled to help out. Posting from his Twitter handle, @Moeys, he tweeted: "Friends in Sulafa Tower, you can come over to my apartment - I have bought extra water and snacks. #sulafatower #dubai."
And when Khaleej Times asked why he felt the need to do this, his answer was simple. "Most of my friends live in the same area and I'm paying it back. I had my tower burn a few years back."
kelly@khaleejtimes.com

• Dubai