DUBAI, July 20 (Xinhua) — The 75-storey high Sufala Tower in Dubai caught fire Wednesday in the lower levels of the building, triggering a massive evacuation as civil defense and police were fighting the blaze and cordoning off the nearby streets.
The fire was put off after three hours of fighting operations, the media office of the Dubai ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al- Maktoum tweeted.
There were no immediate reports about casualties.
The fire broke out somewhere around the 35th floor of the skyscraper, local media reported.
Hundreds of tenants left the building, some of the coughing from smoke inhalation. Light wind and a clear sky amid temperatures around 40 degrees Celsius aided the flames which arose quickly upwards from level to level.
One Arab tenant of the 285 meters tall building who managed to take out his most valuable belongings in a hand luggage-sized suitcase told Xinhua the building was quickly evacuated when the fire alarm went off.
Dubai Police sealed off the surroundings of the tower in a radius of around 300 meters and urged drivers coming from nearby to take alternative roads as space was made for fire brigades and ambulance vehicles.
This blaze marks the third major fire of a high rise building in seven months in the UAE.
In the New Year's Eve of 2016 , the 63-storey high Address Downtown Dubai hotel caught fire due to a short circuit, killing one hotel guest and injuring 14 others.
On March 28, the 30-storey high Ajman residential tower caused fire, destroying an ample part of the building, leaving dozens of apartments gutted.