The Associated Press
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — A high-rise tower in Dubai’s Marina district caught fire early Saturday, but there were no immediate reports of casualties.
The fire broke out in the Torch Tower on the northeastern end of the densely populated district, which is packed with multi-story skyscrapers. Debris from the fire cluttered nearby streets after the blaze appeared to be extinguished. High winds whipped through the area.
Police on the scene had no immediate reports of deaths or injuries.
Police blocked off areas around the more than 70-story building, which still had power. Lights were on in many of the apartments inside. Multiple fire trucks and police vehicles were on the scene.
Residents of at least one neighboring tower were told to evacuate as a precaution because of strong winds, but they were later allowed back inside.
The Marina area is home to dozens of towering apartment blocks and hotels, many of them built over the past decade. The apartments are popular with Dubai’s large number of expatriate professionals.
Earlier report from PDN news sources:
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — A fire broke out early Saturday local time at the Torch Tower, an apartment skyscraper in Dubai.
The Dubai Civil Defense said no deaths have been reported so far and the number of people still inside the building is unclear.
The cause of the fire, which started at 2 a.m. (2 p.m. PST Friday), is not known, the Civil Defense said.
Here is a video of the fire: http://youtu.be/gR0gXQ5p5Dk
Strong winds were helping the blaze to spread across the 1,105-foot-tall building in Dubai’s tony Marina district.
One eyewitness told the British Broadcasting Corp.: “There was debris flying everywhere, falling into neighboring buildings.”
Thousands of people have reportedly been evacuated. A number of fire engines and ambulances are now at the scene.
Footage posted on social media showed what looked like molten glass and pieces of masonry falling down.
“In an hour-and-a-half, the fire is almost out on about 60 floors. It looks like mostly the outer apartments that are damaged,” an eyewitness who only identified herself as Rola told BBC.
She said it looked like the blaze started on the 50th floor.
“It’s an iconic building — people were out on balconies all around it watching — even though it was 3 a.m.,” she said.
“The civil defense came really quickly, and they have said there were no casualties. Everybody was told to evacuate in a timely manner, and we think everybody is OK.”
Another witness told Gulfnews.com that the building looked like “the Titanic going down”.
The 79-story building opened in 2011.
