A residential high-rise in Dubai Marina went up in flames on Wednesday afternoon, marking the third massive building fired in the United Arab Emirates since Dec. 31.
Reports say that the fire first broke out on the 60th floor of the Sulafa Tower sometime between 2 p.m. and 3 p.m., spreading quickly due to strong winds and damaging at least eight floors of the building.
The 75-story building is one of Dubai's 25 tallest buildings and is also one of the 130 tallest in the world.
Fortunately, the fire was brought under control within two hours and there were no casualties, according to Major General Rashid Thani Al Matroushi, director-general of Dubai Civil Defense.
The fire is still being investigated and it remains unclear how many flats have been affected.
"Some flats might be affected by fire, smoke, or water. This is to be determined later," a civil defense spokesperson told Gulf News . He also said residents would not be allowed to return to their flats until firefighters determine it is safe.
This marks the third large-scale building fire in the UAE since New Year's Eve.
On Dec. 31, The Address hotel in Downtown Dubai caught fire, burning into the morning as the Civil Defense battled the flames. The Ajman One development in Ajman caught fire on March 28 earlier this year.
Additionally, The Torch apartment building in Dubai caught fire in 2015, severely damaging 100 flats and in 2012, a blaze engulfed Tamweel Tower in Jumeirah Lakes Towers.
Following the previous fires, experts suggested flammable cladding on the exteriors of these buildings may have allowed the fires to spread much more rapidly.
As a result of the The Address hotel fire, national attention was focused on the use of highly combustible plastic filled aluminum composite panels on the facades of buildings throughout the emirates. The Dubai Civil Defense announced that it was working on a new fire code after the New Year's Eve fire.
According to The National, the new fire code is set to be released this year.
