Dubai's Torch tower catches fire again

Published : 04 Aug 2017, 11:05

Sahos Desk

Firefighters battled a blaze early Friday at the 84-story Torch tower near Dubai Marina in the United Arab Emirates, the Dubai Media Office said.

Just after 3:30 a.m. Dubai Civil Defense said the fire was out after burning for about two hours.

Officials said the building was being cooled.

There were no immediate reports of injuries, the Dubai Media Office tweeted.

Video posted to social media showed a line of fire up one side of the building and falling, flaming debris.

Witness Samer Fathallah told CNN he thought the fire had engulfed 30 to 40 residences. Two cars in the parking deck were set on fire by falling debris, he said.

Firefighters fought the fire from inside the building, and the crowd gathered 500 meters away could see water shooting out of the affected units.

A video posted to Instagram from a building across the street from the Torch shows fire trucks arriving and debris covering the street. The flames in the video appear to shoot out of parts of the buildings on the middle floors.

The Torch was the site of a massive fire in February 2015.

There were no deaths or injuries, and that fire was out three hours after it began, the Civil Defense Office said.

The Torch was the world's tallest residential tower when it was completed in 2011, according to the building's developer, Select Group. It contains 682 residential units with 24-hour security and concierge, and six retail spaces. It has 84 floors, the developer's website says.

CNN's Amanda Jackson contributed to this report.

Source: NBC

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