A heart-felt message

TDT | Manama

A Bahraini family of seven, who were all rescued from a fire that engulfed their house near Hamad Town recently, expressed thanks and appreciation to His Majesty the King’s Humanitarian Works and Youth Affairs representative and Royal Humanitarian Foundation (RHF) Board of Trustees chairman His Highness Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa for swiftly responding to their plea to assist them in their ordeal.

This came a few days after Civil Defence firefighters rescued the family from their house in Sadad village in the Northern Governorate, where flames suddenly engulfed the two-storey building at midnight on Friday. All members escaped the blaze unharmed, but their losses were estimated to cross tens of thousands of Bahraini Dinars.

Initial reports indicated that the fire was caused due to an electrical short-circuit in one of the air-conditioners in the living room. “We had moved in the house around 10 months ago and we are still paying monthly installments to fully own it from the bank,” a family member told our sister newspaper Al Ayam. “The fire destroyed everything and we are affected by this matter.”

HH Shaikh Nasser instructed the RHF to immediately follow up on the family’s condition, while the Labour and Social Development Ministry subsequently provided a temporary housing unit to shelter the family members who became homeless overnight. Meanwhile, a delegation led by Northern Governor Ali bin Al Shaikh Abdulhussain Al Asfoor, along with the area’s representative in the Northern Area Municipal Council Zainab Al Derazi and other officials, visited the house to meet the family and see the damage caused by the flames.

The delegation was reassured about the family’s condition, while the Northern Governor confirmed that the necessary measures were being taken, in cooperation with the Labour Ministry, to provide the family with urgent financial assistance, adding that the Governorate is coordinating with the relevant authorities to renovate the house.

“The priority now requires providing the basic needs to the members of the family until the technical reports are completed,” said Al Asfoor. The Northern Governor also underlined the importance of taking utmost care and precaution, as well as following preventive measures and installing prevention and safety means in the house, such as smoke detectors and firefighting tools, and to ensure the safety of electrical installations.

For her part, Al Derazi expressed her utmost thanks and appreciation to HH Shaikh Nasser for his continuous supportive stances towards those in need, including citizens and residents.