Flip through the latest issue of Gulf Weekly.
RECRUITMENT consultant Bayden Tierney had the fright of his life when he awoke gasping for breath after an electrical fault in an air conditioning unit filled his apartment with poisonous fumes, writes Shilpa Chandran.
The building alarm system awoke the 24-year-old from his slumbers as neighbours in Tala on Awwaj Islands called emergency services.
“There was an overwhelming smell of burning plastic and I was violently sick,” he said after his first night in his new flat.
It was later discovered that a plastic fan inside an air-conditioning unit had melted and dripped on to foam which started smoking resulting in fumes jetting out around the apartment.
“It is not unusual for similar electrical faults to occur when a property has been empty for some time the maintenance team who repaired the damage told me – my apartment had been vacant for five months,” said Bayden, who needed hospital treatment to help him recover from his ordeal.
Residents have also raised concern that the fire service did not respond despite being called twice.
Lieutenant-colonel Saleh Salem Saif, operations director of the fire department, said the matter was being investigated and electronic logs checked.
The incident has also raised concerns that some members of the public may be unaware of which number to call in an emergency. The official urged readers to use 999 to receive an immediate response.
