Qatar fire service conducts studies into smoke pockets in deadly mall fire

Qatar fire service conducts studies into smoke pockets in deadly mall fire

Qatar’s Interior Ministry says investigators are conducting studies into possible design flaws at the Villaggio shopping mall that caused a fatal fire.

The design flaws are thought to have funnelled dense smoke into areas around a daycare centre in the country’s biggest mall, where 13 children and four workers died in a fire. Two firefighters were also killed in the blaze.

The ministry says experts are studying whether corridors and stairways in the Villaggio trapped heat and smoke, making rescue and fire prevention more difficult. Officials also are studying malfunctions in the sprinkler system and possible shortcomings in other safety measures, including alarms.