Fire ripped through a 75-storey, 285-m-high residential tower in Dubai yesterday, forcing police to evacuate the area in the latest of a series of skyscraper blazes in the Gulf state.
Firemen managed to extinguish the fire after evacuating the building located in Dubai Marina with no injuries or deaths reported, the head of the department, General Rashed al-Matrousi, said, without referring to how it broke out.
“The fire broke out on the 60th floor and extended to the 70th due to the wind.
Self-extinguishing devices prevented the blaze from affecting the apartments,” he added.
The blaze caused chaos on streets around area with people returning from work unable to reach their homes as police blocked nearby roads to avoid any injuries from falling debris, Abu Dhabi-based The National newspaper reported online.
The tower is the 23rd tallest building in Dubai and 127th tallest in the world.
Fires have hit several high-rise buildings in the United Arab Emirates, famed for its record-breaking skyscrapers.
On New Year’s Eve a huge blaze ripped through the luxury Address Downtown Hotel, injuring 16 people just a few hours before a spectacular fireworks display nearby.
In November last year, fire engulfed three residential blocs in central Dubai and led to services on a metro line being suspended, although no one was hurt.
In February, a blaze gutted one of the emirate’s tallest buildings, also in the Dubai Marina neighbourhood.
It destroyed luxury flats in the Torch tower and prompted authorities to evacuate nearby blocks.
In March, a high-rise residential tower caught fire in Ajman, north of Dubai.
The building was evacuated and no casualties were reported.
In 2012, a huge blaze gutted the 34-storey Tamweel Tower in the nearby Jumeirah Lake Towers district.
It was later revealed to have been caused by a cigarette butt thrown into a bin.