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Moment skyscraper is engulfed in 400ft inferno as blazing debris rains down

27 June 2023 , 06:44
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Moment skyscraper is engulfed in 400ft inferno as blazing debris rains down
Moment skyscraper is engulfed in 400ft inferno as blazing debris rains down

RED-HOT embers rained down on a city in the United Arab Emirates after a massive blaze engulfed an apartment block.

Terrifying footage shows ferocious flames engulfing the 400ft Tower 02 of the Ajman One complex in Ajman on Monday night.

The apartment block in Ajman was overwhelmed by the ferocious flames eiqekiquhieuprw
The apartment block in Ajman was overwhelmed by the ferocious flamesCredit: Reuters
Burning debris showered down on the street below on Monday night
Burning debris showered down on the street below on Monday nightCredit: Twitter
Residents were quickly evacuated as emergency services battled to douse the fire
Residents were quickly evacuated as emergency services battled to douse the fireCredit: Reuters

The night sky was lit by the ominous glow as the blaze ripped through the residential building as horrified locals watched on.

A chilling sizzling sound can be heard as the inferno continues to rage, while a shower of burning embers falls on the street below.

Crowds of evacuated residents and concerned locals were seen gathered as thick black smoke billowed through the air.

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Further footage shows how firefighters battled to douse the towering flames as the blaze continued to spread to several floors of the 36-storey complex.

One corner of the building was engulfed in flames reaching from the ground level to the top, with debris falling to the street below.

But police in the UAE city said teams were successfully able to extinguish the blaze, with no injuries reported.

Residents of the high-rise complex who were forced to abandon their homes were ferried to nearby hotels on a string of buses.

They were sent to accommodation across Ajman and Sharjah by the Emirate's Transport Authority.

Brigadier Abdullah Saif Al Matrooshi, Director-General of Police Operations at Ajman Police, said a mobile police unit helped secure the site.

Tenants were able to report the items and belongings they lost in the incident to officials.

Shocking images documenting the aftermath of the fire show how the apartment block was completely charred.

Locals could be seen surveying the damage as emergency services wandered through the debris that had littered the pavement.

There was no immediate comment from UAE officials.

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A large fire previously tore through two apartment towers in the same complex in 2016.

The Ajman One Tower 2 is believed to be the third tallest skyscraper in the city of Ajman.

It comes after figures from the UAE Ministry of Interior were released which showed a significant rise in the number of building fires in recent years.

More than 3,000 incidents were reported last year, a jump from the 2,090 blazes in 2021 and 1,968 in 2020, according to The National News.

The stats suggest the majority of the infernos took place in residential areas in 2022, with homes and apartments accounting for 1,385 incidents.

The spike has been linked to flammable cladding on many of the country's ubiquitous high-rises.

We previously told how a huge fire engulfed a posh block of flats on the artificial Palm Island in Dubai in 2016.

The blaze at the 36-storey skyscraper could be seen across the city
The blaze at the 36-storey skyscraper could be seen across the cityCredit: Twitter
No injuries were reported in the inferno
No injuries were reported in the infernoCredit: Reuters
A mobile police unit also helped secure the site, officials said
A mobile police unit also helped secure the site, officials saidCredit: Reuters

Olivia Burke

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