Several residents said the fire broke out just after 1 a.m. at the 86-story Torch Tower — a more than 1,100-foot-tall residential building in Dubai. The same building had also caught fire just two-and-a-half years earlier.
Firefighters responded about 1:00 a.m. local time Friday August 4, 2017 to a major fire at the 86-story Torch tower in Area 392-204 Dubai Marina near the Dubai Marina in the United Arab Emirates.
Just after 3:30 a.m. Dubai Civil Defense said the fire was extinguished after burning for about two hours. Officials also said the high-rise building was being cooled.
The Dubai Media Office tweeted that there were no casualties initially reported.
Dubai Civil Defence: Torch Tower fire brought largely under control. No casualties have been reported so far pic.twitter.com/ETJN3kPu2a
— Dubai Media Office (@DXBMediaOffice) August 3, 2017
Video posted to Facebook and Twitter showed a narrow line of fire up one side of the building with falling, flaming debris. Flammable building cladding is believed to have burned.
Friday’s fire follows a series of high-rise fires in Dubai over the past three years.
Flames rose above a side of the Torch tower in this second fire while restorative work was underway from a previous fire on February 21, 2015. The previous fire was similar, involving exterior cladding, and causing no initial reported injuries. Dubai media has reported that the cladding consists of polyurethane fillings between aluminum sheets.
Again in 2017, hundreds of residents were evacuated from the building, which is 906 feet at the top floor and 1,105 foot with the antenna spire.
The waterfront tower consists of six retail spaces and 676 residential apartments with a range in size and offerings. The building also features large duplex penthouses.
The 86-story supertall residential building, which has 79 stories above ground level, was the tallest residential building in the world when it opened in 2011. The Torch tower residential building has since been surpassed by the 23 Marina and the Princess Tower across the street, and then the 432 Park Avenue in New York City.
See also …
The Skyscraper Center
skyscrapercenter.com/building/the-torch/344
The fire at Torch Tower in Dubai burned 40 floors of an 86-story apartment building.