Keep censers away from inflammable material: Police

Sohaila Ahmed, Staff Reporter

As part of Dubai Police’s keenness to raise awareness and ensure the safety of community members, individuals were warned about the dangers of using censers (incense burners) on clothes for a long period of time.

This advice targeted individuals who place censers inside their closets, especially during a big event like Eid Al Fitr.

Officials revealed that since the beginning of 2021, around 186 fires took place including vehicle fires, restaurants, houses and warehouses, due to not taking the necessary precautionary measures.

Causes of such fires varied from keeping censers inside wardrobes, not cleaning restaurants’ smoke extractors, and not taking proper safety measures to prevent fires. Moreover, officials explained that 17 fires were reported in kitchens of villas, 35 in residential apartments, 3 restaurants and 2 local kitchens, 3 warehouses and 7 factories, while 22 other fires of different causes.

Families and individuals were urged to take all safety precautions and raise their awareness about preventing fires from taking place by avoiding such a habit of placing incense burners inside wardrobes.

Officials referred to multiple fire incidents that occurred in laundry and dry cleaning shops, in which workers left the machines running for hours while cables fused and started a fire in no time.

Individuals were urged to get the help of professional electricians when short circuits or cable fuse take place, besides avoiding the use of censers and burned coal except with full caution. It also advised people not to use fireworks during Eid holidays.

Seperately, the Federal Emergency, Crisis and Disasters Prosecution has ordered the imprisonment of two young men for violating the precautionary measures aimed at curbing the spread of COVID-19.

The authority stated that, under the framework of the national efforts aimed at combating the coronavirus pandemic and limiting its spread, the Abu Dhabi Police monitored a video of two young men entering a shopping mall in Abu Dhabi, who filmed themselves without wearing face masks, adding that they were also wearing smart tracking watches used for those in quarantine, therefore, violating the precautionary measures in a boastful manner.