Doha blaze victims' families call for justice

Families of the Doha shopping mall fire called for justice yesterday after a government investigation found that firefighters took two hours to reach the 13 children trapped in a nursery inside. The probe determined that although the fire caused by an electrical fault broke out at 10.50am in an adjoining shop, it was 12.50pm before firefighters were able to get to the victims in the Gympanzee nursery - by which time they were dead or dying, together with four adult employees. Despite emergency crews arriving on the scene at 11.05am, it was another half-hour before firefighters even realised there were children inside the nursery in Doha's Villaggio Mall. The report into the 19 deaths, which included two firefighters, found a catalogue of failures by shop and mall staff, a lack of fire safety training and inadequate equipment to deal with the blaze. The government committee investigating the fire ruled there was a "lack of adherence to laws, systems and measures by all concerned parties to different degrees. This includes adherence to design, licence and safety conditions, which contributed to the Villaggio catastrophe". Yesterday Louie Aban, the husband of Maribel Orosco, 29, one of the staff who died in Gympanzee, broke down as he said: "Someone should pay for this. "I will see what result comes of the prosecutor's case, but if I am not satisfied, I will file a lawsuit against the mall." Speaking over the phone from the Philippines, he said he planned to bury his wife tomorrow. The 31-year-old accountant has been left alone to bring up their nine-month-old baby, also called Louie. "Maribel sacrificed her life for our boy and it hurts too much," he said. "My baby should have his mother here. "This shows there was a complete mess-up by mall management. Firefighters did not reach the nursery in time because there were no floor plans and they did not know where to go. "The question I want to ask is: where were all the mall staff? They secured their own safety but not the safety of the children in the nursery." He said questions should be raised over training and evacuation procedures for mall staff: "They should be more responsible for other people, not just in Villaggio but in every mall. If a fire happens, they should first ensure there are no casualties." Sarrinah Onday, 39, whose one-year-old son Russel missed his session at Gympanzee on the day of the May 28 fire because of a hospital appointment, was the last person to speak to Orosco just after the fire broke out and advised her over the phone to seek advice from a security guard when she first smelled smoke. Orosco was told there was no need to panic and went back inside Gympanzee. Within 15 minutes, plumes of thick black smoke were pouring through the air conditioning unit of the childcare centre and blocking its entrance, making it impossible for the 17 children and adults inside to leave. Mrs Onday said: "I don't blame Gympanzee staff because I know them and my son is very well cared for. "But we have to ask how mall staff are being trained. It is like they hire anyone, not security staff. In Villaggio, they could not even tell you where the bathrooms were or speak English. "I cannot feel angry because I am grateful my son is safe. I just want to feel numb. Every day, I keep waiting for Maribel to call." The government report warned numerous other public buildings are lacking adequate safety measures. The committee discovered the fire started accidentally because of faulty electrical wiring in a fluorescent light in the mezzanine level stockroom of a Nike sports shop. Once it began, it quickly spread to plastic materials and flammable goods in the stockroom.