Tenants of an apartment building in Dubai's Al Ras are waiting to return home after a massive fire broke out, leaving 16 dead and nine injured.
The fire, which broke out on the fourth floor on Saturday afternoon, was responded to within six minutes, Khaleej Times reported, leaving tenants homeless as authorities sealed the building for safety reasons.
“We are out on streets since we were evacuated at 3pm,” one tenant told Khaleej Times.
Two watchmen who were assigned to the building tried to rescue tenants and those occupying the "first, second, and third floors escaped by the stairs or slid by a rope tied to the grills of their balconies," one tenant said.
"People residing on the fourth floor were unable to as the corridors were filled with smoke,” he added.
Authorities have advised tenants to stay elsewhere until further notice and preliminary investigations by Dubai Civil Defence showed that a lack of compliance with building security and safety requirements caused the fire.
A detailed report is being conducted.
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