By Staff

Dubai Civil Defence authorities have cited the dangers of overcrowding in shared accommodation when two people died in a fire broke that out in a one-bedroom apartment in International City’s England Cluster late evening on Monday.



The DCD said the two people died after jumping from the third-floor balcony to escape the blaze; a third resident sustained severe injuries and was transferred to the hospital for further treatment.



Another seven individuals that were trapped on third-floor balcony of the apartment building were pulled out safely by firefighting teams.



According to the DCD, the operations room received a call at 9.42pm and teams arrived on the scene by 10.06pm to control the situation.



However, DCD said its rescue attempts were hampered due to overcrowding of the apartment in the small living space.



The DCD added the apartment was engulfed in thick smoke when the sponge in the mattress caught fire, resulting in three of the panicked residents jumping from the third-floor balcony in a bid to escape the blaze.



Brigadier Ahmed Obaid Al Sayegh, Assistant Director General for Fire and Rescue, stressed the need to comply with normal housing controls defined by government ruling.



According to the report by Al Rashidiya Civil Defence, 22 people were living in the apartment as sharing accommodation, among which 10 were residing in the living room and another 12 were in the bedroom.



The report indicated that the fire started in the kitchen and spread to the living room where the sponge in the bedding fuelled the flames further, leading to the rapid spread of smoke in the flat and the building.



Rescue teams were able to bring the blaze under control in 20 minutes.



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