Fire 'spread rapidly' through a skyscraper in Dubai's world-famous Marina in the early hours of this morning.
Alarming
footage showed flames climbing up the 79-storey Torch Tower, a
residential building popular with expats in the United Arab Emirates
tourism hotspot.
Burning debris could be seen spiraling down to the ground below as firefighters desperately tackled the blaze.
The
same skyscraper was devastated by fire in 2015 and the building's
flammable cladding, which was similar to that used in Grenfell Tower,
was blamed for fuelling the flames.
Footage shows flames climbing up the 79-storey Torch Tower, a residential building in Dubai Marina
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Burning debris can be seen spiraling down to the ground below as firefighters desperately attempt to tackle the blaze
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Flames could be seen shooting out from tthe sides of the building and glass and debris rained down from the skyscraper
Horrified Dubai residents and tourists shared photos and videos of the flaming debris falling from the building.
Twitter user Ernesto Che Guevara said: 'If you are in there get out! It's spreading rapidly up the building.'
Rob Shepherd tweeted: 'Another major fire just broken out at Torch Tower Dubai friends and relatives just escaping now.'
Cara Spillane added: 'Terrifying to see Torch Tower, in the area I live in on fire now. Hope everyone gets out OK.'
'Fire further spreading, reaching the parked cars', wrote Sabine Abu Sabaa.
The Dubai Media Office confirmed the civil defence was tackling the fire and no injuries had yet been reported.
Sabine Abu Sabaa tweeted a photo of the burning building and wrote: 'Fire further spreading, reaching the parked cars'
The Dubai Media Office confirmed the Civil Defence was tackling the fire. Twitter user Ernesto Che Guevara said: 'If you are in there get out! It's spreading rapidly up the building'
A
spokesman said: 'Firefighting squads from four civil defence stations
have been deployed to bring the fire under control and ensure safety of
residents.
'Dubai Police Commander in
Chief & Dubai Civil Defence Director General are on site following
measures to control the fire at the Torch Tower.
'No
injuries have been reported so far. Dubai Police
will be handling
inquiries related to the fire and those affected by it through
emergency number 999.'
The cause of the
fire is not yet known but civil defence officials said they had
'successfully evacuated' the building and were investigating.
The
Torch Tower is the fifth tallest residential building in the world and
stands at more than 330 metres (1,105 ft). Footage shows flames climbing
up the 79-storey Torch Tower, a residential building in the United Arab
Emirates tourism hotspot
Horrifie Dubai residents and tourists shared photos and videos of the flaming debris falling from the building
The Torch Tower is the fifth tallest residential building in the world and stands at more than 330 metres (1,105 ft).
It became
the tallest residential building in the world in 2011 but lost the
record the following year to the neighbouring Princess Tower.
In
February 2015 hundreds of residents were evacuated from the same
building after it was engulfed in flames in the early hours of the
morning.
The blaze ripped through multiple floors of the new building, in the expat-heavy Marina district of the city.
Flames shot out from two sides of the building and glass and metal rained down from the skyscraper.
Torch Tower became the tallest
residential building in the world in 2011 but lost the record the
following year to the neighbouring Princess Tower
Dubai Police Commander in Chief and Dubai Civil Defence Director General at the scene of the Torch Tower fire
The cause of the fire is not yet known but civil defence officials said they had 'successfully evacuated' the building
According
to UAE civil defence teams, the fire spread uncontrollably partly due
to flammable exterior cladding panels, similar to those used in Grenfell
Tower.
The combination of cheap
combustible cladding and insulation has been blamed for the deadly
spread of the June 14 fire in west London, which killed at least 80
people.
Experts in the UK have
previously voiced concerns that building regulations are unclear on the
use of combustible cladding, which paved the way to their use by
contractors.
The
same skyscraper was devastated by fire in 2015 (pictured left and right)
and the building's flammable cladding, which was similar to that used
in Grenfell Tower, was blamed for fuelling the flames
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