dubai not having a good new year

[aris2chat]

Fire Breaks out Near Dubai's New Year's Fireworks Display

 

[montelatici]

Sheesh, I've stayed at that hotel!

 

[Mr. H.]

Sheesh, I've stayed at that hotel!

So that was YOU next door, snoring like a stuck wild boar?

 

[waltky]

Looks like dat movie Towering Inferno...

New Year's Eve skyscraper fire in Dubai smolders into 2016
1 Jan.`16 — A towering inferno that engulfed a 63-story luxury hotel in Dubai on New Year's Eve still smoldered through the first day of 2016 as firefighters worked to douse its embers on Friday.

Authorities said they were still working to determine the cause of the fire that erupted before the city's fireworks extravaganza and raced through the Address Downtown, one of the most upscale hotels and residences in Dubai. It came after a series of fires striking the towers that provide this megacity its futuristic skyline. Dubai officials said only 14 people suffered minor injuries in evacuating the building late Thursday night, but the fire raised new questions about building safety for those living in the United Arab Emirates.

A fire burns in the Address Downtown skyscraper in Dubai, United Arab Emirates on Friday, Jan. 1, 2016. The blaze began Thursday night before Dubai's annual New Year's Eve fireworks show at the Burj Khalifa, the world's tallest building which sits nearby​

The Address would have a prime spot for viewing the midnight fireworks display, centered at the nearby Burj Khalifa, the world's tallest building. The Address boasts a luxury hotel with nearly 200 rooms, along with more than 600 residential units. Rentals of a one-bedroom can run $70,000 a year. The fire started around 9:30 p.m. Thursday, racing up the sides of the building. Still authorities went ahead with the fireworks show.

Smoke billows from the Address Downtown skyscraper in Dubai, United Arab Emirates on Friday, Jan. 1, 2016. The blaze began Thursday night before Dubai's annual New Year's Eve fireworks show at the Burj Khalifa, the world's tallest building which sits nearby.​

More than 12 hours later on Friday morning, Dubai firefighters largely watched the fire from the ground, unable at one point to use a water hose on a ladder truck. They later regained water pressure and resumed spraying the building. Restaurants nearby opened for business, but served limited menus as civil defense officials cut natural gas to the area. By the afternoon, the blaze had largely died down, but small fires were still visible burning through some windows, sending smoke into the air.

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Dubai Hotel Smolders as Firefighters Tackle Last Gasps of Blaze
JAN. 1, 2016 — Firefighters in Dubai worked Friday morning to extinguish the remnants of a blaze that consumed a 63-story luxury hotel on New Year’s Eve, a few hundred yards from the world’s tallest building, the Burj Khalifa.

As of 11:30 a.m., according to a government statement, firefighters were still “cooling down” the skyscraper as plumes of smoke continued to billow from the lower portions of the tower, more than 13 hours after the fire broke out. At least 14 people were injured in the blaze, and one person had a heart attack. No deaths were reported. The cause of the fire remained unclear, although Col. Saif al-Mazrouei, the director of Dubai’s traffic department, told The National, an English-language newspaper based in the emirate of Abu Dhabi, that the fire had been accidental and had started at the exterior of the hotel on the 20th floor.

The Address Downtown Dubai, a 63-story luxury hotel, caught on fire Thursday evening, interrupting New Year’s Eve celebrations and forcing the authorities to evacuate the area.​

The hotel, the Address Downtown Dubai, opened in 2008. It contains traditional hotel rooms and long-term residential suites, many of them owned by investors. The government said that Dubai Holding, the investment company that controls the property, was offering alternative accommodation to guests who had to be evacuated. It was not clear, however, whether the offer had been extended to owners or occupants of the apartments.

Images showed the fire climbing up the side of the skyscraper, which was completed in 2008.​

Tina Karakalla, who fled the hotel, said in a telephone interview that people yelled, “Fire, fire,” shortly after 9:30 p.m. on Thursday as they ran into the nearby Dubai Mall — a high-end shopping emporium that includes a 22-screen cinema, an aquarium and an ice-skating rink. Strong winds delayed the efforts of firefighters to put out the blaze.

To the astonishment of many observers, including viewers around the world following live coverage of the fire, the government proceeded with a lavish fireworks display at midnight, even as the blaze continued. Just before midnight, an image of the United Arab Emirates flag was projected on the Burj Khalifa, which overlooks the hotel. “Dubai’s successful New Year’s celebration is testimony to its steadfast commitment to its major projects and initiatives,” the city government said on Twitter.

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/02/world/middleeast/address-downtown-hotel-dubai-fire.html?_r=0