residential tower in Dubai
By Mike Murphy
Published: Aug 3, 2017 11:32 p.m. ET
No injuries yet reported; ironically named Torch Tower also caught fire in 2015
Mitch Williams via Reuters
Flames shoot up the sides of the Torch Tower in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, on Friday morning, local time.
Firefighters battled a huge blaze overnight in a residential high-rise tower in Dubai, for the second time in a little over two years.
The ironically named Torch Tower is one of the world’s tallest residential buildings, rising 84 stories above the Dubai Marina. Officials said the building was evacuated and no injuries had yet been reported. Dubai’s Civil Defense Office said the fire was out by 3:30 a.m. Friday, local time, after it had burned for about two hours.
Images and video from social media show flames licking up the side of the building, sending debris tumbling below.
The building caught fire previously in February 2015. No one was injured in that incident. In December 2015, a Dubai high-rise hotel near the Burj Khalifa — the world’s tallest building — caught fire on New Year’s Eve, injuring 16.
Thursday’s blaze comes after a high-rise fire in London killed at least 80 people in June.
