A heartbreaking fire that erupted in a high-rise residential building in Sharjah’s Al Nahda area has tragically resulted in the loss of five lives, including a Pakistani worker. Local police reported on Tuesday that 19 others sustained injuries, with two individuals remaining in critical condition.
“The blaze started at approximately 11:30 am, prompting an emergency call to Sharjah Police reporting flames shooting from an apartment on one of the top floors,” the police stated in an official release.
According to officials, the injured are currently receiving medical treatment at Al Qasimi Hospital. Authorities have initiated a thorough investigation into the incident, and forensic experts have been on-site to meticulously examine the area and determine the cause of the devastating fire.
Eyewitness accounts indicate that the fire broke out suddenly on an upper floor of the 52-storey building, which was home to an estimated 1,500 residents from a variety of different nationalities.
— X@ShjPolice
Emirati authorities conveyed their deepest condolences in a statement, expressing, “We extend our heartfelt sympathies to the families who have lost loved ones and share in their profound sorrow during this incredibly difficult time.”
Further updates regarding the incident are anticipated as the ongoing investigation progresses.
Prior to this recent tragedy in Sharjah, the last reported incident in the UAE where Pakistani nationals tragically lost their lives in a fire occurred on January 25, 2024, as reported by Gulf media outlets.
That fire, which engulfed an apartment in Sharjah’s Muwaileh area, claimed the lives of a Pakistani man and his 11-year-old daughter. His wife and two other children were hospitalized in critical condition following the devastating event.
In April 2023, a fire in a residential building in Dubai resulted in the deaths of sixteen people and injuries to nine others. The fire engulfed the five-storey building located in the Al-Ras neighborhood, one of the oldest districts in Dubai and a significant residential area for many migrant workers and traders, according to the Abu Dhabi-based newspaper The National.
Sharjah is one of the seven emirates that constitute the UAE, a country that has unfortunately seen several residential complexes and hotels affected by fires in recent years.
In some of these past incidents, experts have suggested that the exterior cladding of the buildings may have contributed to the rapid spread of the flames.
