Firefighters put out a fire that broke out at a 75-storey residential tower in Dubai on Wednesday, the fifth blaze in a skyscraper in the oil-rich United Arab Emirates in recent years.
The fire was completely put out three hours after it started with no injuries reported, the Dubai Media Office said.
Flames had leapt out of windows toward the top of the Sulafa Tower in the upscale Marina district, and 10 to 15 storeys appeared to have been charred, Reuters witnesses said.
About 50 firefighters from five fire stations and rescuers from Dubai Police worked together to extinguish the fire, said Major General Rashid Thani Rashid Al Matroushi, Director-General of Dubai Civil Defence in comments published by news agency WAM.
He added that the blaze, which is believed to have started on the 60th floor of the residential skyscraper, spread out to the eight floors above because of the wind.
Burning debris floated toward the ground and firefighters approached the site with sirens blaring.
The 75-storey building is located across the road from The Marina Torch, where a massive fire broke out in February last year.
In March, a fire broke out at a residential tower in the nearby Emirate of Ajman.
On New Year’s Eve, a blaze hit a downtown hotel in Dubai. In February last year, fire broke out at a 79-storey residential tower in Dubai, and in November 2012, a 34-storey Dubai residential building was partially gutted.
In some of those cases, experts said the flames may have been encouraged to spread by flammable exterior cladding, used for decoration or insulation.
The UAE revised its building safety code in 2013 to require that cladding on all new buildings over 15 metres (50 feet) tall be fire-resistant, but older buildings are exempt.
* With Reuters
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