Dubai Police confirm JLT Tamweel Tower fire caused by cigarette butt

Dubai Police said on Tuesday that fire in Tamweel Tower in Jumeirah Lake Towers was caused by a cigarette butt thrown into a garbage bin containing papers and other inflammable stuff.

34-storey Tamweel Tower was gutted by the fire last month which left many residents homeless and their belongings went up in smoke.

According to the Dubai Police forensic department report, the fire started at the back of the building on the ground floor where the waste material was left by the labourers working on a shop in the building. The waste material contained papers, tapes and woods which fuelled the flame.

As reported by Emirates 24l7 earlier, Tamweel and Owners Assocation last month discussed  that the apartments of Tamweel Tower will most likely be restored to their original state of handover, and the building will be restored according to the latest safety standards.

Tamweel Tower will most probably be restored and the apartments refurbished to their original state of handover. This good news was delivered to the owners of Tamweel Tower during the first Owners Association (OA) meeting last month.

Although the insurance company aligned with Tamweel has not yet received the report of Dubai Police, it speculated that the cause of the fire as reported would not affect the liability clause of the insurance coverage.

"We cannot make any statement unless we have received and studied the report of Dubai Police. But if a cigarette butt released by an unknown person is the cause of the fire, this will not affect the liability clause," said Omer Hassan Elamin, Senior Managing Director of Arab Orient Insurance Company.

Meanwhile, Tamweel issued a statement saying: “Tamweel is yet to receive the official report from Dubai Civil Defense into the cause of the recent fire at Tamweel Tower, and is unable to comment at this time. Our priority remains the wellbeing of owners and residents and we continue to strongly support the relief efforts of the Building’s Owners Association during this difficult period.”

Rumours that the restoration of the gutted building would not be reimbursed have left affected residents restless.

"I heard the restoration might not be reimbursed due to structural defects in the building," tells an owner who lost her apartment on the 7th floor of the building.

Although the cause of the fire has been announced, the investigations do not elaborate on the rapid spread of the fire, which saw the damage reach to the upper floors of the tower.

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