The fire broke out on the outside of the building, and 14 minor injuries were reported

In the video... a fire at the "Address Hotel" in Dubai... and controlling it in record time

• The fire started on the twentieth floor of the hotel.

  Photography: Ashok Verma

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Yesterday evening, a fire broke out in the Address Hotel “Downtown” in the Burj Khalifa city area, and the fire spread quickly, due to strong winds, from the 20th floor to the external facade, and resulted in 14 people with minor injuries, before it was controlled by civil defense teams within about three hours.

In addition, the Commander-in-Chief of Dubai Police, Major General Khamis Matar Al-Muzaina, said that the evacuation process took place immediately, and the accident recorded only 14 minor injuries, as a result of smoke and stampede by hotel guests when they heard the alarm bell, and they received treatment in a field hospital set up directly in The place, pointing out that great efforts were made to extinguish the fire in record time, and 90% of it was controlled about an hour before the start of the New Year celebrations.

He added that only the area surrounding the hotel was evacuated, while the huge celebration-goers gathered in the Burj Khalifa in the Boulevard area, and restaurants and cafes remained crowded with their visitors, pointing out that all the teams of the Events Insurance Committee made great efforts to ensure the safety of the public, and to ensure that the fire did not affect the global event on the occasion of new Year.

He pointed out that the civil defense teams took full precautions to confront the flaming masses that were falling from the upper floors, to extinguish them directly before they caused fires to flare up in other places, pointing out that the extinguishing process was carried out from the outside and inside at the same time.

The Director of the General Department of Civil Defense in Dubai, Major General Rashid Thani Al Matroushi, said that the fire started at around 9:30 pm, and the civil defense teams arrived at the site immediately, given that they were in the place where New Year's celebrations are taking place.

He added that the security and safety systems in the building prevented the fire from spreading into the hotel, and the firefighters deployed according to the strategy of "quick storming" from the lower floors to the upper floors.

He stated that the rescue teams were keen to implement quick measures to preserve lives, and all the guests were evacuated within minutes of the occurrence of the fire, and only minor injuries were recorded as a result of the stampede, pointing out that the hotel occupancy rate is 100%.

He explained that the fire broke out from the 20th floor of the "Address Hotel" in the facade overlooking the Burj Khalifa, indicating that it was an accident, and the civil defense men were able to prevent the fire from extending into the hotel, after the security and safety systems helped in that at the start of the fire.

He pointed out that this type of accident usually takes some time due to the ignition of fires on high floors, and the presence of strong winds that represent an additional factor in the spread and increase of fires, because they pump huge amounts of oxygen.

While a civil defense source told Emirates Today that the civil defense teams deployed in a deliberate manner in the floors affected by the fire, until the intensity of the fire subsided quickly, attributing this to the application of the "quick storm" tactic.

He added that the firefighting teams that participated in the accident faced a difficult scenario in the presence of strong winds, pointing to the formation of an operations room on one of the floors of the hotel to ensure the speed of intervention and determine the starting point of the fire.

He pointed out that the smart safety systems in the hotel prevented the spread of the fire, and facilitated the work of the firefighting team, pointing out that the fire tried to enter the suites and rooms, but it was confronted by water sprinklers and extinguished immediately, and this helped the firefighters storm the building and put out the fire from the inside.

He pointed out that the safety and firefighting systems in the towers are subject to close monitoring by the “24/7” system, which checks every little thing.

He explained that tower fires have a specificity and represent a great challenge, because it is difficult for civil defense equipment and tools to reach all its corners in light of the high altitudes, and here safety systems emerge that effectively face the danger.

The Director General of Civil Defense, Major General Rashid Al Matroushi, told Emirates Today that "evacuation exercises, which are carried out periodically, are a major factor in dealing efficiently with such a fire."

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