A massive fire engulfed a skyscraper next to the world’s tallest building, the Burj Khalifa. The episode took place this Monday morning (7th) in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
According to British tabloid Daily Star, the 35story building known as Boulevard 8 caught fire with flames outside the tower.
Local authorities reported that the blaze erupted around 3:45 a.m. in the early hours of the morning and quickly spread to large proportions. The cause of the fire has not yet been clarified.
Some images taken by witnesses show the skyscraper’s facade on fire, with a fire stripe extending from the top of the building to the first floors, as well as black spots indicating damage to the building.
In an interview with National World, Bindu Rai, who lives in front of the building, described the moment the fire broke out and the panic that gripped the region.
“My mother woke up to the fire that broke out and her whole room was on fire. My building faces 8 Boulevard. It appears the panel on the left side of the building was on fire from top to bottom. It spread from inside two apartments to the rest of the building. But the flames were more visible outside.”
According to the witness, a lot of debris fell and the flames were brought under control by firefighters.
“All residents were safely evacuated and there were no injuries or casualties. The teams arrived at the scene at 3:11 a.m., five minutes after the operating room was alerted,” a civil defense spokesman said.
“The field commander confirmed at 4:52 a.m. that the fire had been brought under control and at 6:08 a.m. operations were fully suspended and the site handed over to the relevant authorities to take the necessary action.”
The skyscraper was built by major real estate developer Emaar, who is responsible for the development of the Burj Khalifa tower. The project is part of the eight buildings that make up Boulevard Walk.
According to The National newspaper, Emaar is a property developer backed by the UAE government. So far, the company has not commented on the fire.
Dubai has had a history of fires in highend buildings in recent years. In April, the Swissôtel Al Murooj luxury hotel, also near the Burj Khalifa, was the scene of a major fire that caused serious damage to the building.
In another event, the elegant 63story Address Hotel caught fire during the 2015 downtown New Year’s Eve celebration. Coincidentally, the building is also located near the Burj Khalifa.
This situation has raised doubts about the safety features of the city’s buildings, as well as the coatings and other materials used.