Fire engulfs Dubai hotel ahead of new year celebrations

[Tywais]

A huge fire has engulfed a high-rise hotel in central Dubai ahead of a New Year's Eve firework display.

Burning debris could be seen falling from the 300m-tall (1,000ft) building as firefighters tackled the blaze.
Officials later said 16 people were injured and the fire was under control. There is no word on the cause.

The blaze erupted near the world's tallest skyscraper, the Burj Khalifa, where crowds had gathered to watch the fireworks display.
Up to two million people were expected in central Dubai for the festivities. People have been asked to leave the area around the Address Hotel, which has been evacuated.

Flames rapidly engulfed much of the building, a five-star hotel and apartment complex with more than 60 storeys, within 10 minutes.

The Dubai government tweeted (in Arabic) that the fire had started on the 20th floor and has now been mostly been extinguished.

However eyewitnesses say the fire is still raging despite the speedy response of the emergency services.

More here - bbc.com

-- BBC January 1, 2016

[Tywais]

[Tywais]

[NeverSure]

They'll be lucky if that thing doesn't collapse entirely. They are made with a steel superstructure and if it gets hot enough the steel loses strength and down it comes. Even if it doesn't come down they might have to tear it down if the steel doesn't still test as strong enough.

[wooloomooloo]

I posted verbatim your post of potential collapse at about the same time on another forum, NeverSure. There's only so much stress an edifice of this size can tolerate.

I'm not a party as to the current situation but if the inferno engulfs the entire building then it's almost certain to collapse.

Edited December 31, 2015 by wooloomooloo

[up2u2]

The fire seems to be the external façade of the building. These are usually constructed of light aluminium sheeting. There have been a number of fires resulting from imported Chinese manufactured sheeting that does not comply with International Fire Rating Standards. It is cheap but burns like billy-oh.

You can see here on a Melbourne Australia apartment fire the external façade burning in a very similar manner.

https://sourceable.net/combustible-cladding-behind-melbourne-apartment-blaze/#

[Somtamnication]

Hope everyone got out safely.

[impulse]

The fire seems to be the external façade of the building. These are usually constructed of light aluminium sheeting. There have been a number of fires resulting from imported Chinese manufactured sheeting that does not comply with International Fire Rating Standards. It is cheap but burns like billy-oh.

To be clear, the cladding veneer is a laminate with thin aluminum skin front and back, and a core of plastic. The cheaper the sheets, the thinner the aluminum skin. The total thickness- including the plastic core- can vary widely depending on the manufacturer and price point. And the coating (which itself can be very flammable) can be rated for indoor or outdoor use.

Totally agree on the Chinese tendency to ignore international safety specifications, regardless of what's claimed on the documents.

[Jonathan Fairfield]

One dead and more than a dozen injured in Dubai skyscraper fire

A massive fire has broken out in a high-rise apartment building and hotel in central Dubai, close to the world’s highest skyscraper, the Burj Khalifia.

Burning debris could be seen cascading down from the 300 meter high, 63-storey structure known as the The Address Downtown Dubai.

Authorities say the building has been evacuated and the fire is under control, one person is confirmed dead and over a dozen injured.

According to witnesses the entire building was swamped in flames. It is unclear what caused the blaze.

Thousands of extra security personnel were already in position ahead of a spectacular New Years fireworks display.

Despite the huge blaze officials decided to go ahead with the pyrotechnics.

As many as two million people were expected to attend the festivities.

-- (c) Copyright Euronews 2016-01-01

[Jonathan Fairfield]

Dubai New Year fireworks kick off while nearby tower blazes

JON GAMBRELL, Associated Press

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — A 63-story luxury hotel was engulfed in flames even as a massive New Year's fireworks display kicked off at the world's tallest skyscraper nearby, while tens of thousands of people whistled and cheered at early Friday's pyrotechnics.

Just minutes before the fireworks began in the Gulf emirate of Dubai, large explosions could be heard from inside the burning building, which was cloaked in thick black smoke. Other blasts followed later during the night. It was not clear what caused them.

At least 14 people were slightly injured, and one person suffered a heart attack from the smoke and over-crowding during an evacuation late Thursday, according to the Dubai Media Office. The statement said another person was moderately injured, without elaborating further. No children were among those injured, it said.

Around 1 million people had been expected to gather around the Burj Khalifa skyscraper to watch the fireworks. Dubai's economy depends heavily on tourism, and New Year's is one of the busiest seasons, drawing people from around the world to watch the fireworks that the emirate puts on at the world's tallest tower, as well as the sail-shaped Burj Al Arab and over a man-made palm-shaped island.

Organizers had installed 400,000 LED lights on the Burj Khalifa and used some 1.6 tons of fireworks for the seven-minute extravaganza. Two years ago on New Year's, Dubai broke the world record for the largest fireworks display.

The fire engulfed the Address Downtown, one of the most upscale hotels and residences in Dubai, which was likely to have been packed with people because of its clear view of the 828-meter (905-yard) tall Burj Khalifa.

The hotel towers over the Souq Al Bahar, a popular shopping area with walkways that connect to the Burj Khalifa and the Middle East's largest mall, the Dubai Mall.

It was not immediately clear what caused the fire, which ran up the 63-story building. The Address is a 991 foot-tall (302-meter) skyscraper that has 626 luxury apartments and 196 hotel rooms, according to Skyscraper Center, which tracks such buildings.

Dubai's Media Office wrote on its official Twitter account that four teams of firefighters were working to put out the blaze. They said the fire appears to have originated on a 20th floor terrace, though witnesses who saw the blaze start said they believed it began on the building's ground floor. No one offered a cause for the fire.

The fire broke out around 9:30 p.m., about two-and-a-half hours before the midnight fireworks display was set to begin. To manage the crowds, Dubai police had closed off some roads and some metro stations before the fire broke out.

The Dubai Media Office said that Dubai's tourism department would provide guests evacuated from the building with alternative hotel accommodation.

Nearly an hour after the fire began, some onlookers began to leave while others stood, pressed against crowd barricades, watching the blaze. Among them was Chris Browne, a tourist from London, who watched with her husband, Stephen, standing behind her. They said they hoped no one was injured.

"It's pretty scary stuff," she said.

Standing nearby, Stuart O'Donnell, a British intensive care nurse who works in Dubai, said he was worried for those inside the building as it was in a prime location to watch the fireworks display.

"You feel sad for the people inside. ... It spread so quickly when it started," he said.

He and others in the crowd wondered what had started the blaze. "I do feel suspicious of when a fire breaks out on New Year's Eve," he said.

After the fireworks display, Girlie Omilda, a Filipina who works in the aviation industry in Dubai, said she was glad to have seen the fireworks, even as the tower continued to burn. She too was concerned about threats from extremists like the Islamic State group. She said Dubai's large expatriate, non-Muslim population made the city a tempting target.

"Sometimes it makes me feel unsafe," she said.

-- (c) Associated Press 2016-01-01

[wabothai]

I posted verbatim your post of potential collapse at about the same time on another forum, NeverSure. There's only so much stress an edifice of this size can tolerate.

I'm not a party as to the current situation but if the inferno engulfs the entire building then it's almost certain to collapse.

You might want to check out engineer's reportings on the twin towers.

[JHolmesJr]

Anyone claim responsibility yet?

[Andaman Al]

They'll be lucky if that thing doesn't collapse entirely. They are made with a steel superstructure and if it gets hot enough the steel loses strength and down it comes. Even if it doesn't come down they might have to tear it down if the steel doesn't still test as strong enough.

You mean the US Government will be lucky if it does collapse, otherwise they have an even more tricky time ahead with people asking 'hang on a minute why did WTC 7 actually collapse? Your statement is incorrect and in all the worlds fires in tall buildings there have never been collapses and certainly not asymmetrical collapses. If it were to collapse you would probably see something representing reality and that is partial un-symmetrical collapse of certain parts of the building.

I am delighted most people have escaped unscathed, but laughed out loud at the decision to go ahead with the fireworks display despite the display venue and the burning hotel being in close proximity of each other.

[Basil B]

Nice to see they evacuated it with only a few minor casualties, be interesting to see just how many people had to be evacuated and how they did it without using the elevators? sixty floors is a hell of a long walk down.

I recall the Royal Jomtien, that was only 17 stories high, and 91 fatalities.

[Scott]

An off-topic post has been removed.