Father and sons killed in villa blaze

A young boy dies along with his father and teenage brother in a fire at their home that left three other siblings and their mother injured.

Reports say that the fire was caused by an electrical shock in the air conditioning unit in the children's bedroom.

AL AIN // A young boy died today along with his father and teenage brother in a fire at their home that left three other siblings and their mother injured. Omani national Abdullah Ahmed Salem Seif al Saadi, 35, his four-year-old son and his 14-year-old son were killed by toxic fumes in the blaze at their villa in Al Ain early today. His wife and their three other children, aged 10, six and four months, were saved by their driver and a neighbour who rushed into the flames. Both men were seriously injured as they also tried to rescue the family members who died. Mrs al Saadi and her three other children were taken to Al Ain Hospital with mild injuries and were discharged this morning. The family's Pakistani driver, Hamdallah Khan Karim Khan and their Egyptian neighbour, Alaa Mohammed Hussein, 40, were last night in critical condition in intensive care at Tawam Hospital. Lt Col Abdullah al Shamsi, the chief of city police, said emergency services received a call at 4.47am today reporting the fire. Although investigations into the tragedy are still continuing, police said yesterday it was possible an electrical fault in the air conditioning had caused poisonous gas to seep into the house before the blaze started. Col Ahmad al Ameemi, the chief of the Al Ain Police Department, yesterday warned people against leaving electrical devices switched on for long periods, especially air -conditioning systems. He also reminded people of the importance of having access to a properly serviced fire extinguisher and of knowing how to use it. [e-mail] [e-mail]