Uninsured shop owners count the cost of devastating Baniyas Market blaze

Twenty-five shops were reduced to ash in Friday’s fire at the Baniyas Market on the outskirts of the capital causing millions of dirhams in damage.

Shocked shopkeepers examine the remains of their stores after the fire that gutted 25 shops at Baniyas Market on the outskirts of Abu Dhabi. Satish Kumar / The National

ABU DHABI // “I owe money to traders – I don’t know how to pay them. Only the clothes on my body are left.”

Nazak Haji Gundak, from Pakistan, was one of 25 shopkeepers at Baniyas Market who watched as his business was reduced to ashes on Friday.

“On Friday morning I collected my clothes from the laundry and kept them in the shop, and they all burnt,” Mr Gundak said on Tuesday.

He had time to grab Dh2,000 and his passport before about Dh200,000 of investment went up in smoke.

Mr Gundak has run Al Afiyya Readymade Garments at the souq for 15 years, and pointed to piles of burnt children’s bikes, blankets, toys, clothes and kitchenware.

“If the authorities rebuild, this would be great help for us all,” he said. “I pay Dh60,000 annual rent for this shop and Dh11,000 to the municipality for the licence.”

But he and the others who lost their livelihoods were philosophical. “If we get any help, fine, otherwise Allah will help,” Mr Gundak said.

Hardly anything was left of the Old Municipality Market of Baniyas, on the outskirts of the capital, after the blaze broke out about 3pm.

For 27 years it had been a favourite place for locals and expatriates looking to buy textiles, clothes, children’s toys, blankets, books, mobile phones and refreshments.

Pakistani shopowner Abdul Khaliq said he had lost clothing worth Dh250,000. His shop was uninsured.

“I was sitting inside my shop when the fire broke out,” Mr Khaliq said. “I rushed out and saw huge flames engulf part of the complex.

“I grabbed my passport and the cash and jumped to safety. The fire was spreading so fast that I could not protect anything.

“If the Government helps us it will be good, otherwise we revert back to Allah – He’ll help us.”

Mr Khaliq said he had opened the Ali Al Amri textile shop in 1989, when the market was established.

Juma Khan, 28, from Pakistan had a ladies’ textile shop, which was also burnt to the ground.

Mr Khan’s outlet the Nazar Ahmed Shop, one of three he ran at the souq, had been there for 25 years and he said he had lost clothing worth Dh400,000. He said municipal officials had visited the scene and assessed each shopkeeper’s losses.

“I don’t know whether we are going to be compensated for losses because we did not have our shops insured,” Mr Khan said. “This is a huge loss for us and I can’t say anything now. Let’s see what happens next.”

Most of the shops were owned by Pakistanis, Indians, Bangladeshis, Iranians and Syrians. None were insured so the losses will probably be borne by the shopkeepers.

They pay Dh60,000 in annual rent and believe the damage was so extensive that the whole complex would have to be torn down and rebuilt.

Syrian national, Mahir Al Ali had opened his cafeteria Zaharat Alraai only a year ago at great personal expense.

Mr Ali calculated his losses to be about Dh700,000, and he paid Dh100,000 as “key money” for the shop.

“Decorations, food preparation instruments and running the shop required much spending and now I don’t know what to do. May Allah help us all,” he said.

Bangladeshi Zahirul Islam, who worked at a textile and tailoring shop for locals for 23 years, said: “We lost about 20 very expensive sewing machines and loads of clothing.”

Mr Islam said his local owner calculated his losses at more than Dh1 million. “I heard that the complex will be rebuilt.”

The cause of the fire has not yet been determined.