Dubai Police reveal cause of Torch tower fire

(KT file photo)
No casualties were reported, but 38 flats were damaged.
A burning cigarette butt thrown from an upper floor caused the fire in Dubai Marina's Torch tower recently, a top police official has revealed.
According to Major-General Abdullah Khalifa Al Marri, Commander-in-Chief of the Dubai Police, the cigarette butt landed on a pot of plant in a balcony below, which caught fire.
The blaze then spread to the cladding of the building. According to him, the police confirmed this by throwing a burning cigarette butt on some plants at the police headquarters in an experiment. The plants caught fire and spread slowly, which means the Torch tower fire was a "smouldering" one.
No casualties were reported in the fire that was reported on August 4, but 38 flats were damaged.
Ibtisam Al Abdouli, director of criminal evidence department, said the police investigation of the fire was completed within 10 days.
This is not the first time a building has caught fire due to a stray cigarette butt. The 34-storey Tamweel Tower in Jumeirah Lake Towers caught fire after a burning cigarette landed on a pile of waste materials, igniting the fire that engulfed the building.
The Dubai Police officials were speaking during a dialogue session between the police, civil defence and private sector companies.
amira@khaleejtimes.com
-
KT Podcasts
8 at 8 with David Light: Monday, January 11
We've sizzled up sumptuous UAE news and discussion in today's 8@8... READ MORE
-
News
3 Dubai flats destroyed in fire; 45 expats left...
The fire, which took place on January 4, has completely gutted three... READ MORE
-
Weather
UAE weather video: Water freezes as temperatures...
Video shows sheets of ice that formed in a tank. READ MORE
-
Legal View
UAE: You may be deported for working on a visit...
Ministry permits are a must to work in the country. READ MORE
-
Coronavirus Pandemic
World's largest Covid vaccine drive in India...
Over the coming months, India aims to inoculate around 300 million... READ MORE
-
Technology
Signal messaging app faces global outage
Millions downloaded the app as WhatsApp unveiled controversial... READ MORE
-
News
Gen Pervez Musharraf’s mother passes away...
Pakistan COAS condoles death of Zareen Musharraf. READ MORE
-
Technology
WhatsApp delays data-sharing change after backlash
"We’re now moving back the date on which people will be asked... READ MORE






