Duja Tower fire: Over 300 tenants return

Imran Mojib, Special Correspondent

Tenants of Duja Tower, which caught fire on Thursday, began moving back to their respective apartments on Saturday evening after Nasser Lootah Real Estate, the management company of the Tower, opened all apartments deemed habitable by the Dubai Civil Defence, within 36 hours.

Over 300 residents have already shifted as more continue to move.

The Group, to further ensure the safety of the Tower’s residents, has assigned a team of fire and maintenance contractors, who are evaluating the apartment before providing tenants access to their apartments. Fire sprinklers and alarm systems have also been inspected and rectified in these apartments. Six of the 12 elevators have been restored and work is ongoing at an accelerated pace to restore the remaining elevators on priority basis.

Residents affected by the incident have also been provided week-long accommodation in nearby hotels. Upon reassessing the situation in a week, appropriate steps, agreeable by the management and the residents will be taken.

Commenting on the incident, Riyadh Davids, General Manager of Nasser Lootah Real Estate LLC, said, “The safety of our residents is always our overriding priority and we fully comply with all the standards to ensure their wellbeing. We communicated with the tenants as soon we could and assisted them with alternative accommodation.

“On behalf of the Owners and Management of Duja Towers, we thank our residents for their patience as we faced the crisis together. Their support enabled us to facilitate their moving into the apartments within 36 hours of the incident.

“We will continue to stand by our tenants and offer needed support,” Davids added.

The GM has also thanked the Dubai Civil Defence for their promptness and professionalism which limited the fire to just one area of the building.

The Dubai Municipality, meanwhile, has issued a certification stating that the structure of Duja Tower has not been affected. However, the authorities are still conducting their investigation and the final report is awaited.

Residents of flats that are not yet cleared to move-in can shift only at a later stage, and the management has made all necessary arrangements for their accommodation in the interim.

Duja Towers has 670 residential apartments and 20 commercial units. All units are equipped with 24 hours fire monitoring sensors connected to central fire alarm panel.