KUWAIT: The Director General of the Kuwait Fire Force, Major General Talal Al-Roumi, stressed the importance of intensifying inspection campaigns to identify buildings and establishments that violate fire safety regulations. In a press statement issued by the Kuwait Fire Force and published by KUNA following his meeting with the heads and staff of the force’s Prevention Sector, Al-Roumi emphasized that there will be no leniency towards violators whose actions could lead to accidents and fires. He underscored the necessity of administratively closing such establishments due to the risks they pose to public safety.

In 2024, Kuwait launched a nationwide inspection of commercial housing properties to investigate their compliance to fire safety regulations. The campaign followed a devastating fire that broke out in the early hours of June 12, 2024, tragically claiming the lives of at least 49 expat laborers, predominantly from India, who lived in a residential building in Mangaf, Kuwait.

Fire Force staff are seen during the meeting.

KUWAIT: Firefighters and security forces gather outside a building which was engulfed by fire in Mangaf on June 12, 2024. - Photo by Yasser Al-Zayyat

Authorities placed blame on greedy property owners who disregarded building safety standards. Municipal officials were suspended, and representatives of the company where the laborers worked were referred to prosecution. Real estate companies and employers also issued fire safety notices to their tenants and employees. The incident ignited widespread calls for stricter enforcement of housing safety standards to protect vulnerable foreign laborers.