DUBAI, 7 May 2007 — A fire broke out at an eight-story high parking lot construction site at the world-renowned The Palm Jumeirah at around 4 p.m. yesterday. Police sources said that the fire was extinguished by around 5.30 p.m. and that two minor injuries were reported.
Civil Defense personnel were able to quickly evacuate laborers from the site, and firefighters and ambulances could be seen approaching the scene of the blaze while police shut down access to the island. Security guards working at the site also stopped journalists and photographers from entering the area.
Smoke, which could be seen from far, billowed over buildings along the trunk of The Palm Jumeirah island with traffic tailing back around the area because of the fire.
A statement released by property developers Nakheel said: “At approximately 1600 hours on Sunday a fire occurred in a building owned by a third party developer, currently under construction on the trunk of The Palm Jumeirah.
“The fire commenced within the building igniting building materials and causing substantive smoke. The Palm Jumeirah permanent fire tender was on the scene of the incident within a short period of time, with back up from Civil Defense fire services.
“At the time of making this statement, one person has been taken to hospital due to smoke inhalation. The necessary steps have been taken to ensure the safety of all people on the island. Information provided to Nakheel by the contractor of the building has confirmed that all workers are accounted for.”
The 31-square-kilometer island group has more than 10,000 laborers working to build homes, apartment building, hotels and businesses that would house an offshore neighborhood of more than 100,000 people when finished by 2011.
The Palm Jumeirah, the unique man-made island, is built in the shape of a date palm tree and consists of a trunk, a crown with 17 fronds and a surrounding crescent island that will form a water-breaker. Created by Nakheel, it is a part of the trilogy of three islands called The Palm Islands, which will increase Dubai’s shoreline by a total of 520 km. The Palm Jumeirah is the smallest of the three Palm Islands (The Palm Jumeirah, The Palm Jebel Ali and The Palm Deira). The island is five km by five km with its total area larger than 800 football pitches.
Launched in 2001, the island will have 30 hotels including big names such as the Atlantis Resort and The Trump International Hotel and Tower. The island will also contain themed boutique hotels, signature villas, garden homes, canal cove town homes, shoreline apartment buildings, beaches, marinas, restaurants, cafes and a variety of retail outlets.
