By Enyichukwu Enemanna
Authorities on Sunday announced that at least 16 persons have been killed in a residential building fire outbreak in Gulf Emirate, Dubai, while nine others sustained injuries.
The fire broke out midday on Saturday on the fourth floor of the building in the Al-Ras neighbourhood in the old part of the city.
The fire was caused by a “lack of compliance with building security and safety requirements”, the government’s media office said in a statement, citing civil defence force preliminary investigations.
Firefighting teams were at the blaze within six minutes of being notified, the statement stated further.
The nationality of the victims has not been ascertained as at the moment of this report.
The city is believed to have recorded series of fires in the past, causing extensive damage but few casualties.
Dubai, one of the seven emirates of the United Arab Emirates, has a population of around 3.3 million, of whom almost 90 percent are foreigners.
In 2017, the authorities announced the adoption of stricter building regulations to minimise the risk of fire, attributed mainly to flammable materials used in the exterior cladding of buildings.
