28 January 2006
Sharjah: A couple who tried to flee the blaze that engulfed their two-storey building were found dead in their rooftop bathroom.
Two people were killed and more than 200 injured when the massive fire ravaged the building early yesterday, police said.
Two of the injured is in a critical condition and have been admitted to Kuwaiti Hospital.
According to the police, the fire broke out around 1am and was brought under control after three and-a-half hours. Witnesses said many of the 300 residents of the building on Al Rolla Street tried to jump from the windows to escape. The building was occupied by Asian families and bachelors. The cause of the fire and the losses are yet to be ascertained.
Around 6.30am, the police found charred bodies of the man and woman. They were identified as Biju, 27, and Marena, 25. Biju worked in a company in Sharjah, while his wife was a nurse at a private hospital in Dubai.
She joined her husband in the UAE five months ago, and was working in the hospital for the past two months. They moved into the building a month-and-a-half back. The couple from Ernakulam, Kerala in India were married a year ago. They were living in a room built illegally on the roof and had probably tried to escape the fire by taking shelter in the bathroom.
Colonel Gareeb Shaba'an, Director-General of Sharjah Civil Defence, said the personnel received information of the fire around 1am.
Illegal construction
Colonel Shaba'an said the building was overcrowded.
"It is not big enough to accommodate 300 people. Moreover, the entrance to the building is also very narrow. Keeping flammable materials in stores in a residential building is illegal. This puts people's lives in danger. In addition, the building lacked basic safety requirements. There are no emergency exits. The owner of the building has built rooms on the roof without permission from the municipality. It is also illegal to have stores in a residential building."
The fire started in two stores on the first floor and spread quickly to the upper floor, where residents live. The stores stocked paper.
The police did not allow the press to come close the scene of fire or take pictures. A policeman told the Gulf News photographer that he must have a police permit to cover such incidents.
By Bassma Al Jandaly
Gulf News 2006. All rights reserved.
