(MENAFN- Khaleej Times) The fire that broke out in Dubai Marina's Torch Tower, the world's fifth tallest residential building with 87 floors, has impacted 38 apartments and 64 floors, Dubai authorities said.
Firefighters rushed to the scene when the fire broke out 45 minutes past midnight on Friday. In an official statement, Dubai Civil Defense officials said the fire started on the 26th floor, moving upwards from the south-west corner. The fire slightly damaged the interior of the 83th and 84th floor.
However, no injuries were reported, and investigations behind the cause of the fire have started. On Friday afternoon, Dubai Police reopened roads leading to the tower.
Major General Abdullah Al Marri, Commander-in-chief of Dubai Police, said firefighters, rescuers and ambulance team helped put out the fire quickly and ensured safety of residents- and their pets. The teams carried out inspections in 597 apartments and evacuated 475 people who were sheltered in three nearby hotels.
The 676-apartment tower, among which 84 floors are residential and three are used for services, was quickly evacuated. Firefighters reached the scene at 12:49am, after receiving a report on the fire at 12:45am.
Firefighting squads from six Civil Defense stations had been deployed to bring the fire under control and ensure safety of residents including Al Marsa station, UAE martyrs station, Al Quoz, Al Rashidiya, Al Barsha and Port Saeed stations besides the marine rescue team.
The participation of different authorities helped to put out the fire at 2:58am and cooling operations started right after. Instant response to the fire helped in putting it out in a short period of time and avoided its spread to further floors of the building that could've resulted in more damages.
Al Marri praised the fact that Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai was following up the incident, along with His Highness Sheikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior. His Highness Sheikh Mansour bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum was at the scene with Major General Rashid Thani Al Matroushi, Director General of Civil Defense in Dubai and supported all teams while the tower was being evacuated.
Sherouk Zakaria "Born and raised in UAE, Sherouk Zakaria is a Senior Correspondent at Khaleej Times. Joined since May 2016, she covers Dubai Municipality, Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA), special events and humanitarian issues. Her choice of journalism as a career stems from her passion of telling people's stories and writing to inspire or make a difference. In her free time, she's an occasional theater and film actress. Sherouk received her BA in Mass Communications from the American University in Sharjah in 2013. Before joining Khaleej Times, she was a senior lifestyle/entertainment editor for a magazine in Dubai."
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