A fire erupted at a high-rise residential building in Al Nahda, Sharjah, around 9:30 pm on Thursday night.
Eyewitnesses reported seeing flames and thick plumes of smoke from the upper floors of the tower, as residents were quickly evacuated from the premises. Fire alarms blared throughout the building, and emergency response teams rushed to the site.
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“I was returning from Taraweeh prayers when I saw thick smoke rising from the top floors of my neighbouring building. First, I thought it was the tower I resided in. When I reached the building, I saw many people were out on the streets,” said a resident.
“At around 9.45 pm, I saw emergency services entering the neighbourhood to douse the flames and take control of the situation,” the resident added.
“Residents of other blocks were also evacuated as a precautionary measure.”
According to the residents, the Sharjah Civil Defence Department dispatched multiple firefighting teams to tackle the situation as dense smoke blanketed the area.
Many residents did not see the fire, “as it was just the thick smoke that was visible,” said Shahid, a grocer in the vicinity.
“I was not aware of the situation and was engrossed in work. At around 10 pm, the entire street was packed with people and that is when I learnt about the fire,” Shahid said, adding that the building must have been evacuated by 10.30pm.