Inferno tears through 35-storey skyscraper near the world’s tallest building
A massive fire broke out at a 35-story apartment building in Dubai in the early hours of this morning.
Videos circulating online show flames racing up the Emaar skyscraper, near the Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building.
Chunks of debris can also be seen falling on the ground as emergency services arrive at the scene in Downtown Dubai.
It was not immediately clear if anyone was injured in the blaze or what caused it.
Bindu Rai, who lives in a building opposite the scene, said the fire started around 2.20am.
‘My mother woke up when the fire started as her entire room was lit up,’ Ms Rai told the National News.
‘My building faces Boulevard 8 and from what appeared to us, the cladding on the left side of the building was on fire from top to bottom.
‘Fire had spread inside two apartments that were somewhere mid-way. For the rest of the building, it was limited to the exterior.’
The building is part of a series of towers called 8 Boulevard Walk by Emaar, the state-backed developer in the United Arab Emirates.
Black char marks could be seen stretching up after the flames were extinguished before 4am.
The building has been left with extensive damage on the façade panning through all floors.
Dubai police and civil defense did not immediately acknowledge what happened.
Emaar did not immediately respond to a request for comment, nor did the city-state’s Dubai Media Office.
But a series of such incidents in tall buildings in Dubai in recent years has revived questions about the safety of cladding and other materials used in the UAE.
