04 Jan No serious injuries
A fire started on the lower floor of the Address Downtown hotel and black smoke and ash drifted across Dubai just a few hours before the city’s spectacular new year fireworks lit up the sky.
As the flames leapt up the outside and spread to the upper storeys, the hotel was safely evacuated and within hours firefighting crews had control of the fire and the new year celebrations continued unabated whilst action was taken to ensure the fire could not spread. Traffic on Shaikh Zayed Road came to a standstill as drivers slowed down to view the fire.
The fire, said Major General Rashid Thani Rashid Al Matroushi, Director-General of Dubai Civil Defence, damaged only the external interface of the hotel. Medical teams from the Dubai Health Authority were on site to attend to people who sustained minor injuries and treat cases of smoke inhalation. Al Mazeina said 14 people sustained minor injuries and they were treated at the site.
So far there are unconfirmed reports that the hotel did not have an automatic fire suppression system. FME will be investigating the situation as news unfolds.