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.
Source: www.msn.com
