Fire races up 35-storey high-rise near Burj Khalifa in Dubai

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A fire incident was reported at a 35-story high-rise in downtown Dubai near the world’s tallest building Burj Khalifa on Monday. The incident was reported early during the day, racing up the side of the structure in the same way seen in other blazes fueled by flammable siding material.

A resident at the 8 Boulevard Walk said the high-rise has cladding that officials planned to replace after a similar blaze tore through an iconic tower on New Year’s Eve in 2015. However, that cladding was not replaced across the entire building, said the resident, who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals.

All residents of the building were safely evacuated without injuries, Dubai Civil Defense said. 

Fire investigators could be seen looking through balconies and pointing out damage from the blaze. 

A letter sent by Emaar to tenants of the building read, “a thorough investigation is underway” into the blaze and that residents only can be let back in after authorities give the all clear.

The fire raced up one side of the building, while other sides appeared untouched. The damage appeared particularly intense around the fourth floor.

On New Year’s Eve in 2015, a blaze raced through the Address Downtown, one of the most upscale hotels and residences in Dubai near the Burj Khalifa. Some 15 people were injured in the fire and the evacuation. Dubai police ended up blaming exposed wiring for the blaze.

In September of this year, Orient Insurance lost an appeal for a 1.25 billion dirham (more than $340 million) payout to Emaar over the fire after it tried to blame the developer. The judgement said the building cladding might have contributed to the spread of the fire but was not the cause of it.

Emaar stock rose slightly Monday to close at 6.23 dirhams ($1.70) a share on the Dubai Financial Market.

(With inputs from AP)

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