World

Fire races up Dubai high-rise near world’s tallest building

A fire broke out in a 35-storey building near Dubai’s Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building, on Monday morning.
A fire broke out in a 35-storey building near Dubai’s Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building, on Monday morning. A fire broke out in a 35-storey building near Dubai’s Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building, on Monday morning.

A fire broke out in a 35-storey building near Dubai’s Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building, on Monday morning.

It was not immediately clear if there were any injuries in the blaze, which had been extinguished by the time an Associated Press journalist reached the site.

Black char marks could be seen stretching up the high-rise apartment building, which is part of a series of towers called 8 Boulevard Walk by Emaar, the state-backed developer in the emirate.

Dubai police and civil defence did not immediately acknowledge the blaze.

Emaar did not immediately respond to a request for comment, nor did the city-state’s Dubai Media Office.

A series of fires in tall buildings in skyscraper-studded Dubai in recent years has revived questions about the safety of cladding and other materials used in the country.

On New Year’s Eve in 2015, a blaze raced through the Address Downtown, one of the most upmarket hotels and residences in Dubai near the Burj Khalifa.