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UAE skyscraper fire: Hundreds forced to flee after high-rise building engulfed in flames | |
(about 1 hour later) | |
Hundreds of people were fored to flee a skyscraper in the United Arab Emirates after it was engulfed in flames. | |
A video posted online shows the blaze climbing the side of the skyscraper sending burning debris down to the street below. | A video posted online shows the blaze climbing the side of the skyscraper sending burning debris down to the street below. |
The incident took place in Ajman, the smallest of the seven emirates that make up the UAE. | The incident took place in Ajman, the smallest of the seven emirates that make up the UAE. |
UAE interior minister, Sheikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan, has gone to Ajman to co-ordinate the response to the blaze. | UAE interior minister, Sheikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan, has gone to Ajman to co-ordinate the response to the blaze. |
Local police closed off a major road near the building causing traffic build-up. Many people living in Ajman commute to work in the commercial hub of Dubai. | Local police closed off a major road near the building causing traffic build-up. Many people living in Ajman commute to work in the commercial hub of Dubai. |
Officials confirmed there were no immediate reports of casualties. | Officials confirmed there were no immediate reports of casualties. |
It is the fourth major high-rise fire in the past three years. | |
On New Year's Eve, a blaze gutted the exterior of the prominent 63-storey hotel, the Address Downtown Dubai. | |
in February last year, a fire broke out at a 79-storey residential building in Dubai, and in November 2012, a 34-storey Dubai residential building was partially gutted. | |
According to building safety experts, the fires are partly caused by the aluminum composite panel cladding commonly used to cover buildings in UAE. | According to building safety experts, the fires are partly caused by the aluminum composite panel cladding commonly used to cover buildings in UAE. |
Some of these panels have a flammable core which can burn rapidly after being ignited, which means fires spread quickly if there are not enough fire breaks | Some of these panels have a flammable core which can burn rapidly after being ignited, which means fires spread quickly if there are not enough fire breaks |
It is not yet known if this skyscraper in Ajman had this type of cladding. | It is not yet known if this skyscraper in Ajman had this type of cladding. |