Dubai skyscraper hotel engulfed by fire

A huge fire ripped through a luxury Dubai hotel on Thursday near the world’s tallest tower, where people were gathering to watch New Year’s Eve celebrations, police said.

He said the festivities would go ahead despite the fire, saying: “Of course, it will not affect the celebration”.

A fire broke out Thursday night at the high-end Address hotel in downtown Dubai, the government of the United Arab Emirates’ most populous city said.

According to local media, the fire started at the 20th floor from the exterior of the hotel, and the fire control systems were perating to prevent the fire from reaching the interior of the building.

About four fire-fighting teams are now working to stop the fire from spreading and ensure public safety.

More than 12 hours later on Friday morning, Dubai firefighters largely watched the fire from the ground, unable at one point to use a water hose on a ladder truck.

A Reuters correspondent saw police evacuating a viewing area near the base of the Burj Khalifa, where tourists and Dubai residents were set to enjoy one of the world’s largest pyrotechnic displays to usher in 2016.

Burning debris rained down from the building as firetrucks raced to the scene.

There were also thousands of people in the streets below and in the adjacent buildings, all waiting to view the highly anticipated New Year’s Eve fireworks display, among them my youngest sister.

A Maltese couple who were on the hotel’s 63rd floor at the time of the fire are safe.

Video shows orange tentacles of flames engulfing a large section of the the high-end Address hotel for hours after the fire broke out.

The fire had injured 16 people, according to media reports.

But as midnight struck, with the Address building continuing to burn, onlookers cheered as a swirling mass of multicoloured fireworks enveloped the Burj Khalifa.

“People are being evacuated”, he said. The show was to begin at the Burj Khalifa, which organizers said was fitted with 400,000 LED lights. No cause of fire has been reported.

The photo was uploaded to the Instagram account “ar_atiki”, with the caption “Happy New Year Dubai, May God bless you and keep you safe, you always surprise us with the biggest fireworks”. “It spread so quickly when it started”, he said.