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Fire Engulfs Luxury Dubai Hotel, Forcing Evacuation of New Year’s Crowd Fire Engulfs Luxury Dubai Hotel, Forcing Evacuation of New Year’s Crowd
(35 minutes later)
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — A 63-story luxury hotel in Dubai burst into flames on Thursday evening, causing an evacuation of a large crowd that had gathered amid the city’s skyscrapers for New Year’s Eve.DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — A 63-story luxury hotel in Dubai burst into flames on Thursday evening, causing an evacuation of a large crowd that had gathered amid the city’s skyscrapers for New Year’s Eve.
As of 10 p.m., the area surrounding the hotel had been fully evacuated, the authorities reported, but it was unclear if guests and staff at the hotel had managed to get out safely. Local officials quoted by Sky News Arabia said that the hotel had been evacuated by 10:30 p.m., and that they did not know of any injuries or casualties, but that assessment was not definitive. The fire broke out shortly before 10 p.m., guests reported. As it quickly spread, the authorities evacuated the area around the hotel, causing significant traffic jams as motorists tried to get away.
The Dubai government said on Twitter that the fire “originated from outside” the 20th floor of the hotel and that internal fire systems had prevented it from spreading inside. Local officials quoted by Sky News Arabia said the hotel’s guests and staff were evacuated by 10:30 p.m. and they did not know of any casualties, but that assessment was not definitive. Gulf News, a local newspaper, quoted Col. Saif al-Mazrouei, the director of the city’s traffic department, as saying he knew of no injuries.
It was a very windy evening, and the fire appeared to have consumed the middle and upper floors of the building. Four crews of firefighters were working to bring it under control, the government said. It announced that scheduled festivities would go on as planned, even as television images showed that the fire was continuing to rage. It was a very windy evening, and the fire appeared to have consumed the middle and upper floors of the building. At 10:58 p.m., the government said on Twitter that the blaze was 90 percent under control, although images on live television appeared to show that it was continuing to rage.
The hotel, The Address Downtown Dubai, opened in 2008 and is steps from the Burj Khalifa, which is generally recognized as the world’s tallest building. The government said on Twitter that the fire “originated from outside” the 20th floor of the hotel and that internal fire systems had prevented it from spreading inside.
Four crews of firefighters were working to bring it under control, the government said. It announced that New Year’s fireworks would go on as planned at midnight.
The hotel, The Address Downtown Dubai, includes traditional guest rooms and luxury apartments that are used as long-term residences or investment properties.
In a phone interview, Zeina Mandour, 39, who was staying with a relative in a residence on the 39th floor, said she heard an explosion around 9:50 p.m., looked out her window and saw black smoke and flames. She could feel the heat of the flames from inside the apartment, she said.
Ms. Mandour said that she and her family dashed out of the apartment, knocking on neighbors’ doors and shouting at everyone to leave. As her family and other people made their way down the stairs — the group included a pregnant woman, and a wheelchair user who had to be helped by security guards — the building’s alarm went off, she said.
“We’re tired and stressed,” she said from the Dubai Mall, where her family and other guests of the hotel had gathered. She expressed relief that her family had made it out safely.
The hotel opened in 2008 and is steps from the Burj Khalifa, which is generally recognized as the world’s tallest building. It is part of an opulent complex that includes a shopping mall with a giant aquarium, a theme park and a 22-screen cinema, and a fountain set within a lake that shoots water as high as 500 feet.
Dubai, with a population of two million, is the largest city of the United Arab Emirates and has worked to build itself as a major tourist and investment destination. In 2009, Dubai received a financial bailout from Abu Dhabi, another of the emirates. The Burj Khalifa, which opened in 2010, was originally named the Burj Dubai but was renamed, after the bailout, in honor of Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed al-Nahyan, the emir of Abu Dhabi.Dubai, with a population of two million, is the largest city of the United Arab Emirates and has worked to build itself as a major tourist and investment destination. In 2009, Dubai received a financial bailout from Abu Dhabi, another of the emirates. The Burj Khalifa, which opened in 2010, was originally named the Burj Dubai but was renamed, after the bailout, in honor of Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed al-Nahyan, the emir of Abu Dhabi.