Fire engulfs Address Hotel; 14 injured

Dubai - Elderly man dies of heart attack; 14 minor injuries reported as fire raged through The Address Downtown.

Just as the much-awaited fireworks at the iconic Burj Khalifa were about to go off at the stroke of midnight, a massive fire broke out in the five-star The Address Downtown Hotel, creating a pandemonium around the area. An elderly man, who suffered a heart attack at the venue due to the massive crowd and smoke, died while being treated on the spot and at least 14 people were treated for minor injuries, tweeted the Dubai Media Office. Eyewitnesses also reported hearing explosions.
Major-General Khamis Mattar Al Mazeina, Commander-in-Chief of Dubai Police, confirmed the number of injuries even after the rescue operations continued well into the night. People were being rescued from the top floors even until past midnight, sources said. Thick black smoke was seen billowing from the hotel onto Shaikh Zayed Road and the surrounding areas.
Was it a barbeque on the 43-floor or an accident in the kitchen of a restaurant on the 20th floor of the hotel, the exact cause of the incident was not clear but any of these could be the reasons for the fire that ravaged he 63-floor tower, police sources told Khaleej Times on Thursday night.
The fire reportedly started at 9.30pm and four teams of firefighters from the nearby stations evacuated the hotel and the adjoining Souq Al Bahar soon after, Major-General Rashid Thani Al Matroushi, director-general of Civil Defence, said. Helicopters and drones were also used in the rescue operation, he added.
Crowds that had gathered since early Thursday afternoon stood watching the spectacle helplessly as debris was seen flying off from the tower due to the strong winds.
The Dubai Police later pushed the crowds back and also evacuated The Dubai Mall by midnight. Many other revellers were stopped from approaching the vicinity of the hotel. Roads leading to the area were also cordoned off.
Edwin Nolong who works at Souq Al Bahar said the entire staff from his restaurant was evacuated after debris started flying in.
An architect, Michael Gracilla, present at the scene, said: "Although the entire building was on fire, the structure itself will not collapse. It is just the facade of the hotel that is damaged by the fire."
asmaalizain@khaleejtimes.com 

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