The Address hotel fire fighters bag EAY award

A civil defence team which fought a massive blaze that hit Dubai’s Address Hotel and prevented a disaster has been awarded the 'Person of the Month' prize by 'Emarat Al Youm' for their heroic efforts in saving lives.

The Dubai-based Arabic language daily, which introduced the unique award in early 2012, said it had picked the team from Dubai’s civil defence general directorate for its January award for its “heroic role in saving thousands of lives inside and outside the hotel by combating the blaze for several hours".

“This team faced an unprecedented challenge in dealing with the big blaze that engulfed the Address Hotel and in evacuating thousands of people in just minutes in collaboration with other parties, which also played a heroic role, including Dubai’s police,” EAY editor-in-chief Sami Al Reyami said.

“Many people have expected the fire to spoil the New Year delight but these heroes succeeded in controlling the fire and the celebrations went ahead at the nearby Burj Khalifa just three hours after the incident.”

'Emarat Al Youm', one of the most popular Arabic language newspapers in the region, launched the award at the beginning of 2012 to honor outstanding people for their role in the society, the first prize of its kind in the country.

An affiliate of the Dubai Media Inc, one of the largest publications in the region, its editing board picks the person at the end of each month.

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