Sharjah high-rise blaze kills five, including Pakistani worker

SHARJAH: A tragic fire in a high-rise residential building in Sharjah’s Al  Nahda neighbourhood claimed five lives, including that of a Pakistani worker, while 19 others were injured, two of whom remain in critical condition, local police said on Tuesday.

“The blaze broke out at approximately 11:30am, when Sharjah Police received an emergency call reporting flames shooting out from a top floor apartment,” the police said in a statement.

The injured are being treated at Al Qasimi Hospital, and authorities have launched an investigation into the incident, while forensic experts have examined the site to determine the cause of the blaze, according to the officials.

Eyewitnesses said the fire broke out suddenly on the top floor of the 52-storey building, which housed around 1,500 residents of diverse ethnicities.

Emirati authorities expressed their condolences in a statement, saying, “We extend our heartfelt sympathies to the families of the deceased and share in their grief during this difficult time.”

Further updates are expected as the investigation continues.

The most recent incident before the Sharjah high-rise fire, in which Pakistani nationals lost their lives in a fire in the UAE, was reported on January 25, 2024, by Gulf media. 

The blaze that broke out in 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 hospitalised in critical condition following the incident.

Sixteen people were killed and nine were injured in a Dubai residential building fire in April 2023. The fire engulfed the five-storey building in the Al-Ras neighbourhood, one of the oldest parts of Dubai and home to many migrant workers and traders, according to Abu Dhabi-based newspaper The National. 

Sharjah is one of seven emirates that make up the UAE, where several residential compounds and hotels have been hit by fire in recent years. 

In some of those cases, experts said the flames may have been encouraged to spread by the exterior cladding.