 "Dubai skyscrapper fire")
A major fire broke out in a 67-storey residential tower in Dubai Marina on Friday night. This prompted the evacuation of nearly 4,000 residents. The fire was brought under control after six hours, with no reported injuries.
According to Khaleej Times, many residents said they were not alerted by fire alarms. Instead, they discovered the fire through smoke, calls from friends, or by seeing firefighters outside.
"I was on the 24th floor with my wife when we smelled something burning around 9:45 pm," one resident told Khaleej Times. “We checked our apartment but found nothing. From the balcony, we saw firefighters and people outside. A friend called and said he couldn’t enter because of the fire. Security only told us to leave when we called them.”
This morning, a massive fire started in a Dubai’s residential building. Yet, the 3,820 residents were rescued without injuries. I promise you, I have never seen a more efficient country than the UAE. pic.twitter.com/h31btyAB50
— Ada Lluch (@ada_lluch) June 14, 2025
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He added, “The stairs were too smoky, so we used the elevator, which worked. My wife felt sick from the smoke. We waited outside for 45 minutes before going to a hotel. Later, we saw flames higher up. It was scary.”
Residents in neighbouring towers also affected
Ahmed, who lives in the neighbouring MAG 218 building, said the smoke reached his hallway in the early hours. “We had to leave early in the morning because smoke got into my hallway. I grabbed a bag and used the stairs. I’m staying with a friend now. Everyone nearby was affected.”
Many residents voiced concern over the building’s safety measures, particularly the failure of alarms and smoke control systems.
“The fire alarm never rang,” said a resident from the 28th floor. “We only found out an hour later from a friend’s message. The stairs were full of smoke, so we took the elevator. The lobby was smoky too. Without people helping us, we might not have made it.”
Another resident said, “Most buildings in the UAE have good alarms and sprinklers, but not this one.”
Ashiq, another tenant, shared, “By 11:30 pm, the smoke was too bad. The front desk told us to leave right away. We only took our phones. Now we need to find a place to stay for two days, and they say they’ll pay us back, but it’s stressful.”
Emergency response
Despite the chaos, many expressed appreciation for the quick action by emergency teams. “They came right away, helped everyone, and made sure we were safe,” said Amber, a nearby resident. “One officer stayed calm and helped us in the elevator. They did a great job.”
While several residents were taken to hospital due to smoke inhalation, others are still waiting to hear about the condition of their homes. “We don’t know if our apartment is okay,” said Ashley. “I’ve been calling security all morning. We’re in a hotel now, just glad we’re safe. Some neighbours had to go to the hospital.”
According to the Dubai Media Office, the fire broke out late Friday and was brought under control by early Saturday morning. Dubai Civil Defence teams, along with ambulance and medical services, managed the evacuation of all 3,820 residents from 764 flats.
One witness told reporters, “At around 1:30 am, the fire started to slow down. It has been burning for the past two hours. Plenty of debris has been falling. It looks like the Civil Defence is getting the fire under control.”
Officials confirmed that no surrounding buildings were damaged thanks to timely containment measures.
Transport services temporarily suspended
As a safety measure, the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) suspended tram operations between Dubai Marina Station (No. 5) and Palm Jumeirah Station (No. 9). A shuttle bus service was introduced between the affected stations, while the rest of the tram system remained operational.
In a statement, the RTA said: “The safety of our passengers and operations is our top priority. We are working closely with emergency services and relevant authorities to monitor the situation and resume full services as soon as it is deemed safe.”
Full services will only resume after safety checks are completed. “We appreciate your understanding and cooperation during this time,” the RTA added.
Authorities continue to monitor the situation and are expected to investigate the cause of the fire. No official explanation has been released yet. The incident is being seen as one of Dubai’s most significant emergency responses in recent times.
