A fire broke out in the skyscraper next to the world’s tallest building, Burj Khalifa. The episode took place this Monday morning (7th) in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
The 35-story building, known as Boulevard 8, was engulfed in flames outside the tower, British newspaper Daily Star reported.
Local authorities reported that the flames broke out at around 03:45 in the early morning and spread to large sizes in a short time. The cause of the fire is not yet known.
Some eyewitness footage shows the façade of the skyscraper engulfed in flames with black markings damaging the building, along with a strip of fire running from the top of the building to the first floors.
In an interview with National World, Bindu Rai, sitting in front of the building, detailed the moment the fire started and the panic that gripped the area.
“My mom woke up when there was a fire and her whole room was lit up. My building faces Avenue 8. It seems that the cladding on the left side of the building was burning from top to bottom. It spread from the inside. Two apartments remained to the rest of the building. But the flames were more prominent outside.”
According to the eyewitness, a lot of debris fell and the flames were brought under control by the Fire Brigade team.
“All residents were safely evacuated and there were no injuries or casualties. Crews arrived at the scene five minutes after the operating theater fire was put on alert at 3:11 am,” a Civil Defense spokesperson said.
“The field commander confirmed that the fire was under control at 04:52 in the morning and that the operations were completely terminated at 06:08 and the field was handed over to the competent authorities for the necessary measures to be taken.”
The skyscraper was built by major real estate developer Emaar, who was 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 construction developer supported by the UAE government. So far, no statement has been made about the fire from the company.
Dubai has a history of high quality building fires in recent years. In April, the luxury Swissôtel Al Murooj hotel, also close to the Burj Khalifa, was the scene of a massive fire that caused serious damage to the establishment.
At another event, the sophisticated 63-floor Address Hotel caught fire during the 2015 New Year’s Eve celebration downtown. Coincidentally, the building is also located near the Burj Khalifa.
This has cast doubt on the safety features, coatings and other materials used in the city’s buildings.
source: Noticias
