UpdateFlames engulf enormous residential skyscraper in Dubai

Fire engulfed a high-rise residential tower in Dubai in the middle of the night, sending plumes of smoke into the air and debris falling below.

Dubai’s police and other authorities said no injuries had been reported so far in the blaze that started around 1am at the 336-metre-tall Torch Tower, one of the world’s tallest residential skyscrapers, located in Dubai’s popular Marina neighborhood. It was the second time that a major fire had ripped through the skyscraper, after a blaze in 2015.

Dubai’s Civil Defence announced at about 3.30am that firefighters had brought the blaze under control.

“Cooling operations are underway,” Dubai’s official media office said on Twitter. Earlier, it said the tower had been “successfully evacuated”.

The Torch Tower was world’s tallest residential tower when it opened in 2011. It is 79 storeys high, but is often described as having 86 storeys, including below-ground levels.