Blaze rips through Dubai skyscraper

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.
/ AFP PHOTO / Mohamed HASNI

Fire ripped through a 75-storey Dubai apartment block on Wednesday, forcing police to evacuate the area in the latest of a series of skyscraper blazes in the Gulf state.
An AFP journalist saw burning debris fall from the facade of the Sulafa tower in Dubai Marina as the fire spread up at least 15 floors of the building.

Sirens wailed as police cordoned off the area.

Authorities said fire crews had evacuated the building and were working to contain the blaze. Dubai Civil Defence said no casualties had been reported.

Fires have hit several high-rise buildings in the United Arab Emirates, famed for its record-breaking skyscrapers.

On New Year’s Eve a huge blaze ripped through the luxury Address Downtown Hotel, injuring 16 people just a few hours before a spectacular fireworks display nearby.

In November last year, fire engulfed three residential blocs in central Dubai and led to services on a metro line being suspended, although no one was hurt.

In February, a blaze gutted one of the emirate’s tallest buildings, also in the Dubai Marina neighbourhood.

It destroyed luxury flats in the Torch tower and prompted authorities to evacuate nearby blocks.

In 2012, a huge blaze gutted the 34-storey Tamweel Tower in the nearby Jumeirah Lake Towers district. It was later revealed to have been caused by a cigarette butt thrown into a bin.