One of the world’s tallest high-rise buildings, The Torch in Dubai, engulfed by flames

A HUGE fire has engulfed one of the world’s tallest apartment buildings in Dubai.

The blaze has gutted the upper part of The Torch residential skyscraper, which stands 336.1m high, triggering evacuation of nearby towers in the Dubai Marina neighbourhood.

The fire broke out at about 2am in the 86-story Torch tower on the northeast end of the densely populated district, which is packed with multistorey skyscrapers. High winds whipped through the area and debris from the fire cluttered nearby streets after the blaze appeared to be extinguished.

Civil defence officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said there were no reports of deaths or injuries.

The cause of the fire was not immediately clear.

Australian woman Kathryn Dickie — who lives in Dubai — told ABC News the scene was “frantic”, adding, “you can actually see the flames being pushed out by the fire hoses”.

The Marina area is home to dozens of towering apartment blocks and hotels, many of them built over the past decade. The apartments are popular with Dubai’s large number of expatriate professionals.

Police blocked off areas around the Torch, which still had power. Lights were on in many of the apartments inside and multiple fire trucks and police vehicles were on the scene.

Residents of at least one neighbouring tower were told to evacuate as a precaution because of strong winds, but they were later allowed back inside.

Two residents of the Torch said they were told the fire started around the 52nd floor. Flaming material falling from the initial fire then set a lower part of the building ablaze, they said.

One of the residents, Steve Short, 53, of Liverpool, England, praised the work of firefighters who arrived quickly. He said fire alarms alerted residents to the blaze and building management sent workers knocking on doors to ensure residents got out.

Resident R.J. Morlock, 33, of Houston, shot video on his phone that showed bright yellow flames reaching what appeared to be several stories on two separate parts of the building. He said residents were nervous coming out but fire crews were able to bring the situation under control.

“I was really surprised they got it under control pretty quickly,” he said. “It looked like it was going to go up.”

As daylight broke, residents waiting across the street to be allowed back home were able to see the extent of the blaze: External cladding on the corner of more than two dozen stories from roughly the 50th floor to the top were mangled and charred black.

Clean-up crews dressed in orange uniforms swept up pieces of shattered glass and other debris covering the street outside the building.

Dubai, known for its skyline of skyscrapers, has seen fires at towers in the past.

In 2012, a huge blaze gutted the 34-Tamweel tower in the nearby Jumeirah Lake Towers district. It was later revealed to have been caused by a cigarette butt thrown into a bin.

source: www.news.com.