A residential skyscraper has caught fire in Dubai, prompting the authorities to evacuate the apartment block and cordon off the area. The flames spread to at least 30 levels of the 75-story building.
Firefighters managed to put out the fire at the Sulafa tower after three hours, Dubai Media Office tweeted on Wednesday, adding that no injuries had been reported.
Witnesses on the scene described burning pieces of the building floating down from the building in the upscale Marina neighborhood. Firefighters could be seen on some of the balconies trying to reach the flames.
Police have cordoned off the area and all of the tenants were evacuated.
There was no immediate information on the cause of the fire.
‘Almost explosions’
Nora Maki, a resident of the building from across the street, said the flames “spread like wildfire” but that firefighters “did an amazing job” of getting it under control.
“It was really scary,” Maki said. “You could hear almost explosions … and there was debris flying around.”
The flames damaged more than 30 stories of the building.
The oil-rich Emirates have seen several of their world-famous skyscrapers catch fire in recent years. Most notably, a fire injured 16 people in the luxury Address Downtown hotel on New Year’s Eve, the 63-storyy building located near the world’s tallest tower, the Burj Khalifa. Police blamed the incident on faulty wiring.
Torch Tower, also in Marina, was damaged by fire in February. The blaze destroyed luxury apartments in the 79-story building and prompted evacuation of the area.
dj/kl (AFP, AP, Reuters)
