The mall reopened in September 2012, prompting criticism from the families of the victims, who felt excluded from the decision-making process and expressed disappointment over the lack of memorialization at the site.
[1] Brigadier Hamad al-Duhaimi of the Qatari civil defense stated that firefighters had to break through the roof for access after a staircase collapsed and that attempts to reach the children's area were hindered by the intense heat.
[2] A subsequent investigation revealed that the fire started on the upper floor of a Nike sports goods store due to an electrical issue with a faulty spotlight.
Christine Wigton, an American residing in Doha, described hearing a faint buzzer upon entering the mall but observed no loud alarms despite increasing smoke levels.
[1] The children killed in the fire, including a set of triplets, ranged from 18 months to 7 years old and were nationals of New Zealand, China, Canada, France, South Africa, Spain, Egypt and the United States.
[1] Qatari newspaper Al-Watan questioned the Ministry of Social Affairs regarding whether the nursery met the requirements for obtaining a license, expressing concerns about the presence of young children in a facility that may not have been adequately equipped.
Saleh al-Kawari, the editor-in-chief of Al-Raya, characterized the purported negligence of safety standards as tantamount to "premeditated murder," labeling the incident as "a genuine catastrophe.
[4] Qatar's then-crown prince, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, personally visited some of the families affected and promised them justice.
The fire was determined to have originated on the upper floor of a Nike sports goods due to an electrical issue that caused a faulty spotlight to ignite[3] and was exacerbated by flammable paint, leading to its rapid spread.
[6] The investigation committee stated that the fire was not premeditated and concluded that there was a general failure to adhere to necessary laws, systems, and measures by all involved parties to varying degrees.
[6] The chairman and deputy managers of the Villaggio mall, Abdul Aziz Mohammed Al-Rabban and Tzoulios Tzouliou,[11] received the same sentence and restitution order.
This led the judge to remark that Gympanzee seemed to offer educational and recreational activities, supporting the argument that it functioned as a nursery rather than merely a play area or temporary childcare service.
[12] During court proceedings in March 2015, an official confirmed that a Nike store at the mall, where the fire originated, did not possess the required Civil Defense permits.
Concerns arose regarding the functionality of the mall's fire suppression systems on the day of the incident, particularly as reports indicated some water pumps at the shopping center needed repair.
Civil Defense witnesses testified during the appeal hearings that the mall operated with a valid license, despite previous concerns raised about the flammable nature of its paint and decorations before its opening in 2006 and during a subsequent review two years later.
The judge ruled to dismiss all testimony provided by family members of the victims during the initial criminal trial, asserting that one cannot serve as both a witness and a plaintiff in the same case.
[7] In April 2016, a judge decided that none of the five defendants on trial would face imprisonment but opted to "punish them once more" by requiring them to pay "blood money" compensation to the victims' families.
One of the defendant's attorneys raised concerns about transparency, citing instances where relatives of the deceased had accepted financial settlements in March and consequently dropped both criminal and civil cases.