Dubai: Firefighters have extinguished a blaze that swept through one of the world's tallest residential buildings in Dubai in the early hours of Friday, forcing occupants to flee their homes as burning debris showered down the sides of the tower.
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Dubai's civil defence authorities said firefighting squads put out the blaze by about 4am (9am AEST) and were cooling the 352-metre tall Torch Tower.
The tower, in the city's upscale Marina district, was evacuated and no injuries were reported, authorities said, even though flames shot up the sides of the building. The 676-apartment tower has 86 floors above ground including a four-storey podium.
Firefighters and police sealed off surrounding streets, which were partially covered by dust and debris.
"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 1am. Then it started calming down over the next two hours. It started on the 67th floor, that's what we were told," he added.
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.
The government said it was working on providing shelter for the people affected. The cause of the fire is not yet known.
Residents and witnesses posted videos and photos of the building on fire on social media.
It is the second time in two years the building has been on fire. In February 2015, hundreds were evacuated as flames shot out from two sides of the building as glass and metal rained down from near the summit. No major casualties were reported in that blaze.
Penthouse / roof level now pretty engulfed. Apparently 5th tallest residential building in the world pic.twitter.com/nsEJV1J7rZ??? John O'Nolan (@JohnONolan) August 3, 2017
A Dubai Police spokesperson told Gulf News the fire broke out on the ninth floor and spread to the upper four floors.
Earlier the Dubai Media Office tweeted that the Dubai Civil Defence had succeeded in controlling a large portion of the fire.
Dubai Civil Defence: Torch Tower fire brought largely under control. No casualties have been reported so far pic.twitter.com/ETJN3kPu2a??? Dubai Media Office (@DXBMediaOffice) August 3, 2017
Dubai Police Commander in Chief & Dubai Civil Defence Director General on site following measures to control the fire at the Torch Tower pic.twitter.com/3hY3tqJfq9??? Dubai Media Office (@DXBMediaOffice) August 3, 2017
Firefighting squads from 4 Civil Defence stations have been deployed to bring the fire under control & ensure safety of residents??? Dubai Media Office (@DXBMediaOffice) August 3, 2017
A witness told Gulf News the fire seemed to have started at the top of the building.
"Smoke is everywhere," the witness said. "The streets are covered in debris."
#Dubai torch tower is currently burning in Dubai Marina @gulf_news pic.twitter.com/HvxxnOXSuk??? PepGenesio (@Mamad_ElShabazz) August 3, 2017
An Associated Press journalist near the scene of the blaze said more than 40 floors of the high-rise tower had been engulfed in flames on one side of the building. Residents of the building could be seen crying with several saying the fire broke just after 1am local time.
Reuters, Fairfax Media, AP
