Massive evacuation as Dubai Sufala Tower catches fire

Dubai, July 20 (IANS) The lower levels of Sufala Tower in Dubai caught fire on Wednesday, triggering a massive evacuation as civil defence and police fought the blaze in the multi-storeyed building.

No immediate casualties were reported. The fire broke out somewhere around the 35th floor of the 75-storey skyscraper, local media said, Xinhua news agency reported.

Hundreds of tenants left the building, some of them coughing from smoke inhalation.

Light wind and a clear sky amid temperatures around 40 degrees Celsius aided the flames which rose quickly upward from level to level.

One Arab tenant of the 285-metre-tall building who managed to take out his most valuable belongings in a hand luggage-sized suitcase told Xinhua the building was quickly evacuated when the fire alarm went off.

Dubai Police sealed off the surroundings of the tower in a radius of around 300 metres and urged drivers coming from nearby to take alternative roads as space was made for fire brigades and ambulance vehicles.