Heartbroken Sharjah fire father: I was shocked to see my house on fire

 
 Heartbroken Ahmed Ibrahim

A husband and father has told of the moment he returned from collecting his eldest child from school to find his wife and two youngest daughters had died in a house fire in Sharjah.
Heartbroken Ahmed Ibrahim, 53, from the Comoros Islands, told 7DAYS: “I was shocked to see my house on fire. My wife, Fatima (38), and two daughters, Shahd (13) and Lamya (11), were inside.”
He said the blaze, which happened shortly after 11.30am on Tuesday, was so bad that firefighters initially were unable to enter the house.
The cause of the fire in the Al Gahfya area is still being investigated.
“They had to battle the blaze from outside to be able to get in,” Ibrahim added.
“I cannot forget almost 20 years of my life with my wife. We shared painful and pleasant times. We managed to overcome tough times together. Life will not be easy without her.”
The grieving husband and father added: “Time seems long since the incident happened. The last night was very long night.”
Ibrahim added: “Today I checked my house, I saw our hens burnt and nothing was left, everything was gutted,” he said.
However, he said that he has faith in God will see him and his surviving daughter, Zainab Ahmed, 17, through this difficult time.
“I believe in the power and destiny of Allah. I truly believe God is going to help me and my daughter, Zainab, through whatever we have to go through. God will be right there for us.”
Zainab Ahmed, 17, said: “I cannot believe that I have lost my two sisters. We used to go to school together. My sisters attended Al u’la school. They were always hyper, bringing joy to the house.”
Ibrahim praised the emergency services for the compassion they have shown since the tragic incident.
“I thank all those who came to offer their condolences to me. I received Civil Defence and Police officers who show their sympathy with me,” he said, before adding how they had worked through the night to fight the blaze.