‘The fire has been put out… The firemen are now clearing the water and smoke from the floors’

A fire broke out on the 26th floor of Regal Tower at Business Bay on Wednesday morning.

The fire started on the balcony of an apartment on the 26th floor of the 32 floor tower on Wednesday morning and spread upwards to the 28th floor, the Dubai Civil Defence said.

Dubai Civil Defence said the fire only burned the façade of the building and that the interior was not affected.

Portions of external claddings of the tower on at least three floors above the 26th floor have been burnt, but the fire was extinguished at 10.25am.

According to people working in the office tower, the fire alarm went off at 9:45am, but people initially took it for a mock drill.

“Lot of drills keep happening here, so initially we didn’t take it seriously, but when somebody came shouting that there is a fire we ran out,” said Adil, who works on the 9th floor of the 32-storey tower, located opposite JW Marquis Hotel.

Most residents escaped unhurt as firemen swept through the building and evacuated those stranded on higher floors.

However, at least three people have been reportedly hurt, one with a broken arm as he fell trying to escape, while some people are being treated for shock and smoke inhalation.

“We could get out easily because we are located on 10th floor, but people on the higher floors inhaled a bit of smoke and some people are in shock,” said Mark Verrall, who works for a furnishing firm based in the building.

A crowd of at least 500 office goers waited throughout the morning to be allowed back in.

A security guard working in the building told Gulf News that people would be allowed back in after the civil defence officials ensure it is safe for people.

At noon, the firemen were busy clearing out water and smoke from the affected floors.

This is the second incident of fire in Dubai in three days. On Monday evening, three blocks of a residential building in Muraqabat was ravaged by a massive fire.

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