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29 March 2024

JLT Tamweel Tower fire ignites 'throwing cigarette butts from high-rises' debate

Published
By Joseph George & Mohammed El Sadafy

The fire in a Jumeirah Lake Towers apartment has once again raised the question of people throwing cigarette butts from their apartment balconies.

Emirates 24|7 spoke to several residents who have called upon officials to impose stricter penalties for disposing cigarette stubs carelessly, apart from clearing the balconies of inflammable material.

“Every weekend I find at least three to four cigarette butts thrown into my balcony,” said Aamir, a Tecom resident.

Click to see gallery of Pre-dawn fire guts JLT's Tamweel Tower

More than 300 people were evacuated and balconies of ten floors charred following a fire in the 13-floo Saif Belhasa building in Tecom last month. The fire was allegedly caused after a cigarette butt was thrown from a balcony.

Salem Al Mismar, Assistant General Manager for Environment and Safety, Dubai Municipality, says there is already a Dh500 fine for throwing or stubbing out a cigarette on the street anywhere in Dubai.

“This law is connected with keeping the city clean. In line with the Dubai development plan.”

“However, a new law may be needed to ban throwing of cigarretes from balcones in buildings to keep public health and safety well.

“We hope this new law will come soon to save money and lives,” he said.

Local order on safety

Meanwhile, Redha Salman, Director, Department of Public Health and Safety, Dubai Municipality, said there are adequate rules in place to curb fire outbreaks in the emirate.

He said, Local Order No.11 of 2003 on public health and community safety, comprises procedures to prevent occurrence of fires that cause a threat to public health and safety.
 
Speaking to Emirates24|7, he said the order gives officials of concerned departments such as administrations of public health and environment the right to take action against and penalise those who cause a threat to public health and safety.
 
He was responding to some people claiming that cigarette butts were the cause of the fire.
 
Salman added that the order prevents people from leaving waste in a manner that endangers public health. It also includes smoke, vapour, fumes etc. or even any other activity that threatens safety of the community at large.
 
Offenders will be fined between Dh100 and Dh500,000, said Salman.
 
He pointed out that the fine will be doubled if the offence is repeated within one year from the date of the first offense.
 
He demanded the local order be amended to include more specific practices such as using balconies for string inflammable materials, etc. The amendment comes in line with the urban development and civilization achieved by Dubai, he added.

Investigations continue

Major-General Khamis Mattar Al Mazeina, Deputy Dubai Police Chief, said it is too early to speak behind the reason of the fire and the police will to wait for the results of the investigation.

Jenni S, who lives in Muhaisna 4, says a major tragedy was averted when the tarpaulin in the balcony caught fire after someone threw a spent cigarette from the top floor of the building three weeks ago.

“The incident occurred at around 11am in the building opposite our apartment.

"The first floor of the opposite building has a small garden and the tenants had put a tarpaulin to cover the roof. Someone threw a cigarette butt and it caught fire. Thankfully, someone spotted it before the fire could spread and it was extinguished in time. Many residents living on the top floor threw water from their balconies to put out the fire,” she said.

Call for penalties

According to her, anyone seen throwing cigarettes should be heavily penalised for the offence. “I do not understand why people who smoke cannot put their cigarettes in an ashtray,” she said.

Sharing a similar opinion was Megha N J, a resident of Dubai Marina. “There are more such incidents when there is a party happening. They just throw down the cigarette butts from the balcony. Notices should be put across all buildings informing tenants about the penalties,” she said.

Aditya S of JBR says it is also the responsibility of residents to clear the balcony of anything inflammable. Usually, people place garden furniture including cushions in the balcony. However, given the state of affairs, it is best to take precautions. I have cleared my balcony of everything except flower pots,” he said. 

In similar incidents earlier, a cigarette that was thrown into the first floor balcony where old newspapers and cartons were stored caused a massive fire and displaced hundreds of residents at the 40-storey Al Tayer Tower in Al Nahda Sharjah in April this year.

A similar fire in the Al Bakr Tower 4 in Sharjah was caused by a cigarette butt thrown from a higher floor in January.

In yet another incident,a high-rise residential building under construction located opposite Safeer Mall in Al Khan, Sharjah caught fire in July last year.

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