Dubai Fire: Blaze Engulfs 30 Floors of Sulafa Tower, No Toll
A picture taken on July 20, 2016 shows flames and smoke billowing after a fire engulfed several floors of the Sulafa tower in Dubai Marina. Fire ripped through a 75-storey Dubai apartment block, forcing police to evacuate the area in the latest of a series of skyscraper blazes in the Gulf state.
A fire has engulfed more than 30 storeys of a residential skyscraper in Dubai, but there are no reports of any casualties. Firefighters tackled the blaze at the 75-storey Sulafa tower in the built-up Marina district, while burning debris floated to the ground.
Residents were evacuated from the building. The cause of the fire is not yet clear. The government tweeted that it took less than three hours to put it out.
In a recent fire in a buildings in Dubai, on New Year’s Eve, a 63-storey residence block caught fire and 16 people suffered minor injuries.
The United Arab Emirates revised a safety code in 2013 so that new buildings over 15m (50ft) tall must have fire-resistant exterior cladding, but the rule does not apply to older buildings.
Neighbour Nora Maki told the Associated Press news agency that the flames “spread like wildfire” but firefighters did “an amazing job” getting them under control.
