Fire is engulfing a high-rise residential tower in Dubai in the middle of the night, sending plumes of smoke into the air and debris falling below. (Source: Twitter/Daliakaki)
A massive fire broke at the 74-story Torch tower in Dubai early Friday. Occupants were immediately asked to flee their homes as firefighters battled a blaze through one of the world’s tallest buildings in Dubai. Burning debris was showering down the sides of the tower when the firefighting squad arrived, reported Reuters quoting Dubai Civil defence authorities. The 1,105 foot tall torch tower was cooled down around at 4:00 am (0000 GMT). The tower was evacuated and no injuries were reported, authorities said.
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The tower in Dubai’s Marina district caught fire for the second time since February 2015. The police had sealed surrounding streets ensuring safety of the people around. According Reuteres wintness, there was no signs of fire on the exterior of tower. “We were sleeping and we woke up to the fire alarm and people screaming. We ran down the stairs and it took us about 10 minutes to reach from the 50th floor,” a resident who gave his name as George, said “The fire was very strong at that time, about 1 a.m. Then it started calming down over the next two hours. It started on the 67th floor, that’s what we were told,” he added.
#Dubai torch tower is currently burning in Dubai Marina @gulf_news 😱 pic.twitter.com/HvxxnOXSuk
— PepGenesio (@Mamad_ElShabazz) August 3, 2017
Another resident, whose name was Mohammed and lives on the 12th floor, said the top part caught fire first and then lower levels followed as debris fell.
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Hundreds of people were evacuated in 2015 from the same building when a massive fire swept through the tower. The government is working on providing shelter to those affected residents. Videos posted on twitter show flames shooting out in middle of the floors and debris falling from sides of the 79-story skyscraper. Dubai is one of seven emirates that make up the United Arab Emirates (UAE), a Gulf Arab trade and investment hub.
