Blaze rips through Dubai skyscraper

Firefighters battled a blaze early Friday at the 84-story Torch tower near Dubai Marina in Dubai

DUBAI: Panicked residents fled one of the tallest towers in Dubai early Friday after a fire ripped through it, the second blaze to hit the skyscraper in as many years.

Authorities said no casualties were reported from the blaze which erupted in the middle to upper floors of The Torch, once the tallest residential development in the world. The tower was the scene of a 2015 inferno that caused extensive damage to its luxury flats and triggered an evacuation of nearby blocks in the Marina neighbourhood.



Dubai authorities Friday said the fire had been put out. There was no immediate indication of what caused the blaze at the 1,105 foot (337 metre) structure. The fire started on the 63rd floor, said Dubai police commander-in-chief Major General Abdullah Khalifa Al Marri.

"We received a report of a fire. We thank God that there were no casualties, that because of the efforts of all teams on the ground...the residents were evacuated from this building to another one and there were no injuries."

Images published by Dubai Civil Defence showed The Torch after the flames were brought under control: lights were still on in some lower floors, but the middle to upper section appeared to be completely burned out.

In January Dubai announced tougher rules to minimise fire risks after a series of tower blazes in the modern emirate mostly due to flammable material used in cladding, a covering or coating used on the side of the buildings. In November 2015, fire engulfed three residential blocks in central Dubai and led to services on a metro line being suspended, although no one was hurt.



On New Year's Eve that year a fire broke out in a luxury hotel, injuring 16 people hours before a fireworks display nearby.