UAE: Massive fire in high rise building in Sharjah

Sharjah: A residential building under construction in Sharjah caught fire Thursday afternoon.

Residents were evacuated from the building and the power was cut, Brigadier Abdullah Al Suwaidi, head of civil defence in Sharjah, told Gulf News.

There were no immediate reports of fatalities from the blaze, the cause of which is unknown. Officials from Sharjah Civil Defence confirmed that there were no casualties.

Commuters reported seeing a plume of black smoke from as far as Dubai, with residents in the area stating roads leading up to the fire were cordoned off by authorities. Burning debris fell from the building, causing damage to six parked cars. A Red Crescent tent was set up behind the building to care for those affected. It is home to hundreds of thousands of expatriate families and migrant workers, many of whom commute daily south into Dubai.

The fire started in an apartment on the first floor and spread to the upper floors, subsequently reaching the top of the building. There were no serious casualties in that fire.