Dubai: 16 Dead, 9 Injured as Massive Fire Breaks Out in Residential Building
Sixteen people died and nine sustained injuries as a massive fire ripped through the fourth floor of a residential building in Dubai. A Dubai Civil Defence spokesperson said the fire broke out in Al Ras on Saturday afternoon.
The Dubai Civil Defence Operations Room was first notified about the fire at 12.35pm. A team reached the spot within six minutes and began both evacuation and firefighting operations.
Teams from the Port Saeed and Hamriyah fire stations provided backup to the operations. The fire was brought under control at 2.42pm, after which the cooling operations were started.
Eyewitnesses said they saw flames billowing out of the building. Videos shared on social media show thick black smoke and flames leaping out of an apartment window as multiple fire engines and first responders reach the area in record time.
According to a worker in a shop in the building, they heard “a loud bang”. “We couldn’t figure out what was happening for a few minutes. But then we saw smoke and fire coming out of the window.”
