Investigators in Dubai were working Friday to determine the cause of a spectacular fire that engulfed a 63-storey luxury hotel on New Year's Eve three hours before midnight. The huge blaze at The Address Downtown hotel erupted around 9:00 pm (1700 GMT) on Thursday, sparking panic but no reports of serious injuries.
Authorities went ahead with a dazzling fireworks display at the nearby Burj Khalifa - the world's tallest skyscraper - despite the inferno, the latest in a series of fires in recent years to hit the buildings that make up Dubai's futuristic cityscape. They said the fire is believed to have erupted from the outside of the building on its 20th floor before spreading along its whole facade. But the exact cause was not yet known. Dubai government's media office issued a civil defence statement said that the process of cooling the hotel down was "ongoing" Friday afternoon.
"Security services are investigating the causes and circumstances of the fire," said the statement. Witnesses described scenes of panic after the fire spread, with residents screaming and some fainting as they rushed to evacuate the building. Still, authorities said only 16 people had suffered mostly minor injuries despite the presence of thousands in the area to watch the celebrations. At least 14 people were slightly injured, one was moderately injured and one person suffered a heart attack during the evacuation, they said.
All victims have been discharged from hospital except for a pregnant women and an elderly man who were said to be "well" but were kept in "to ensure their safety," the civil defence said. Fire-fighters spent the night trying to extinguish the blaze. Heavy black smoke still billowed from several floors of the hotel early on Friday, an AFP photographer said, as fire-fighters continued to douse the building with water.
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