A massive fire broke out at the 79-storey Torch Tower, a supertall residential skyscraper located in Dubai Marina, past midnight on Friday.
No casualties were reported and the fire was put out at 3.30am, reported Gulf News citing Dubai Civil Defence.
According to eyewitnesses, flaming debris were falling from the tower and plumes of smoke could be seen billowing from the floors. Dubai Media Office tweet read: “Fire at the Torch Tower has been brought under control. Cooling operations are underway. No injuries have been reported.”
In one of its other tweets, Dubai Media Office also said: “Dubai authorities are working on providing shelter at the Princess Tower for those affected by the Torch Tower fire.”
The Commander in Chief of Dubai Police and head of Dubai Civil Defence attended the scene to supervise and monitor fire control operations. Firefighting squads from four Civil Defence stations were deployed to bring the fire under control and ensure safety of residents.
A video on Twitter by one of the residents in Dubai, Alex Caine shows the actual incident-
A fire had broken out in the building previously on February 21, 2015. At that time, witnesses said the fire started with a grill located on one of the building’s balconies. Seven people were treated at the scene for smoke inhalation.Video footage showed structural debris falling from the burning stories to the ground. The fire appeared to have started in the middle of the building and spread rapidly due to falling flaming debris and high winds, which caused the flames to flare up, resulting in “massive problems” for the fire department and a several mile long traffic jam on a nearby highway.
External cladding was charred from the 50th floor to the top of the tower. As of February 28, 101 apartments were uninhabitable and their occupants were offered temporary free lodging by some hotels and houses. Dubai Municipality confirmed there was no damage to the structure.
Tenants requesting emergency accommodation were found free hotel accommodation for up to two months. In April, after insurance assessment, tenders were drawn up for repair of the damaged building.