On the 1st of May a fire broke out in the Dars Salm slum in Sanaa, Yemen. It started from an electrical malfunction and spread quickly through densely packed dwellings made of fabric, cardboard, tin, and tires. The fire destroyed 25 homes, displacing 175 people. Informal settlements are often especially vulnerable to fire.

It would be valuable for architects and developers from around the world to design and provide durable fire-resistant housing for these areas based on the input of residents. Alternatively, fire-resistant materials could be made mandatory and available by the government so that people can upgrade the safety of their own homes in the way that works best for them. Government health and safety standards, coupled with the provision of necessary materials, could significantly improve living conditions in slums.

Quoted from the article “Recent Fire Highlights Plight of Sanaa Slum-Dwellers” on the IRIN website: The slum is known as Dar Salm, and is home to 400 families. They are known as ‘Akhdam’, which means “servants” in Arabic. Most came from the Tehama region, western Yemen, which is one of the poorest and hottest places in the country. Al-Badwi said they had been in the slum for around 22 years.

This entry was posted on Monday, May 5th, 2008 at 6:27 pm and is filed under News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.