Dubai Marina Torch tower fire: 'Fireballs in the air'

The fire that broke out at about 2am in the 86-storey Torch tower on the northeastern end of the densely populated Dubai Marina, packed with multi-storey skyscrapers, lit up a dark and stormy night for residents of the area with fear.
 
None more so than for resident of the tower itself, Rhea Saran.
 
Saran recounts the nightmare that unfolded last night saying they had to walk down flights of stairs. 
 
She lives on the 20th floor, and her mother, who is visiting, rented an apartment in the same building, on the 27th floor.
 
The family is now living at her friend's place in the neighbourhood.

Fireballs in the air

Speaking to Emirates 24|7, Vibha, a resident of the adjacent Emirates Crown, stated lives on the 45th floor.

"We had just come home around 1am. Around 2am, we spotted an orange flame from our balcony. And, when we went to look out, we could see blazing flames from the Torch.

"The wind just accelerated the fire, and within minutes it was growing.

"We have friends living there, so immediately contacted them. They were evacuated by then. I haven't slept the whole night."

Her building was also evacuated, and they were told to remove things from their balcony.

"There were fireballs flying in the air."

 
A resident of Dubai Marina, who lives in the building near the Tower, said, "We could see the flames from our balcony. It was terrible. The wind wasn't helping either."

She spotted the fire at 2.30am.

A resident of the building took to Facebook to inform her family and friends that they were safe.
 
"Scary night. Evacuated because my building caught fire across several floors. I am safe and waiting for them to put it out."
 
“We were in the Barasti beach restaurant when the fire broke out,” Carmen Audino, Dubai-based media professional, told this website.
The Marina Torch tower is about 800m away from the Barasti beach.

She and her friends initially thought it was smog as it smelt like it, but soon realised that a fire had broken out.
 
“The fire was very small at first but strong winds fanned it and soon it grew,” she said.

“The Barasti security personnel requested us to leave the premises as traffic was expected to get jammed,” she said.
 
Also a resident of Dubai Marina, Kavita said it was terrible and she would get rental insurance the first thing on Sunday. "This is just so scary."
 
"I believe 15-20 apartments have been completely gutted."
 
Residents of some adjacent buildings were also evacuated because the debris was flying all over.

Click to read: Dubai Marina's Torch Tower fire began on 50th floor... then on 38th...

Follow Emirates 24|7 on Google News.