Hundreds of residents moved back into Duja Tower in Dubai, days after the building caught fire.
More than 300 tenants returned to their flats on Saturday, after authorities declared the building as safe to occupy. More were expected to move in on Sunday, a statement from the building manager, Nasser Lootah Real Estate, said.
The company said it evaluated each of the affected flats before giving tenants access to the building. Repairs were made on six of the 12 damaged lifts and work was under way to fix the rest, it said. Fire sprinklers and alarm systems were inspected and repaired in all of the damaged flats.
Affected residents were also given 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," the statement said.
Riyadh Davids, general manager of Nasser Lootah Real Estate, thanked the residents for their patience and said they would continue to provide support where needed.
"[The residents'] support enabled us to facilitate their moving into the apartments within 36 hours of the incident.
“We are extremely thankful to Dubai Civil Defence for their promptness and professionalism, whereby the fire was contained to just one area of the building,” he said.
The fire broke out at around 8pm on Thursday and quickly climbed up the building's facade. Residents kept in touch on WhatsApp groups, including an official group for the building’s management to offer shelter for those affected.
At 10.30pm, as the fire continued to spread, word reached residents that they were welcomed to stay at the nearby Sheraton Grand Hotel.
Duja Tower management informed residents at about 7am on Friday that rooms have been arranged to accommodate them at Hotel Ibis World Trade Centre.
Residents said the incident was well handled and people were immediately informed of updates.
Investigations into the cause of the blaze are still under way.
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.
Dubai Municipality inspected the building and deemed that the structure was unaffected.
