The fire took hold of the five-star
Address Downtown, in the heart of Dubai, caught fire just hours before
the midnight celebrations
The Address Downtown was on fire, with the flames reaching up about 40 storeys of the 63 floor hotel
Elsewhere, guests revealed how 'people climbed over each other' to try and escape the raging fire.
The fire is believed to have started
on a terrace on the 20th storey of the luxury hotel - it is unclear what
triggered the blaze
Emergency services were quickly on the scene of the fire, which is said to be confined to the outside
The fireworks displays, which were taken place only a few hundred feet away, continued despite the building continuing to burn
Explosions coming from inside the building were heard just minutes before the spectacular fireworks were set off
The
five-star hotel in Dubai engulfed by flames just hours before the New
Years' firework display was still smouldering this morning.
The
Address Downtown, one of the most upscale hotels in the city, started
at around 9.30pm Dubai time just 500 yards from where the fireworks were
due to begin.
Firefighters
managed to subdue the inferno, but part of the luxury building is still
smoking and a fire is still visible on the 20th floor, where the blaze
apparently started.
Firefighters managed to subdue the blaze, but part of the 63-storey Address Downtown Hotel is still smouldering this morning
The massive skyscraper fire in Dubai that began on New Year's Eve at 9.30pm Dubai time was still smoking this morning
Smoke and even the occasional flame continues to bellow out of the building this morning following the inferno yesterday evening
More than 12 hours later, Dubai firefighters tackled the fire from the ground, using a water hose on a ladder truck
Questions continue to be raised about
how the building caught fire so quickly, and why the fire alarms and
sprinklers took time to activate
The blaze started before Dubai's
annual New Year's Eve fireworks show at the Burj Khalifa, the world's
tallest building which sits nearby
The
200-room hotel - which also boasts 600 private apartments - would
likely have been packed with people waiting in their rooms for the best
view of the fireworks display at the Burj Khalifa, the world's tallest
skyscraper, which sits just across the lake from The Address.
Those waiting below found themselves in danger of being struck by burning debris falling from the building.
Angus Villar was in the hotel on the 15th floor when his father noticed the room next door was on fire.
He told Sky News he was forced to carry his disabled mother on his back to escape and described the scene as 'pandemonium'.
'It
was the classic thing where you would expect women and children first,
but no. People were shoving each other down the stairs and climbing over
each other,' he said.
Irishman
Kenneth Flynn was having a drink in the second floor lobby with his
girlfriend at 9pm local time when she noticed something falling outside.
He
said: 'The whole place was up in flames. The heat was so intense, it
was unbelievable. Then people started to panic, crushing each other and
jumping over railings. And there was no fire alarm.
'I'm
not going to say I didn't panic myself, I was absolutely terrified to
be honest. I've never experienced anything like it. It was surreal.'
Anita Williams, a singer, said: 'Everybody was screaming, everybody was running...I thought 'this is a film''.