Fire rips through Dubai skyscraper

BBC ^ | Feb 20, 2015

[Jet Jaguar]

A fire has swept through the Torch skyscraper in Dubai, one of the tallest residential buildings in the world.

Strong winds helped the blaze to spread across the 336.1m (1,105ft) high building in the marina district.

One eyewitness told the BBC "there was debris flying everywhere, falling into neighbouring buildings". Later reports said the fire was under control.

It is not known what caused the blaze. Hundreds of people were evacuated and there are no reports of any casualties.

'Like Titanic' Footage posted on social media showed what looked like molten glass and pieces of masonry falling down.

[PieterCasparzen]

I dunno, but Russians, Euros, Americans, Brits are over there rakin in the dough working on all that.

[House Atreides]

Thank God there are apparently no casualties. For this to happen there must be a local building code deficiency and/or some shoddy work with unapproved materials.

[Rockpile]

Looks like a 1300 ft. Two bedroom apt in this tower sells for about $400,000. The place has @ 500 apartments and seems to be owned by Select Group whoever they are.

[bobby.223]

The Juice....

[pepsionice]

Dubai is trying to market itself as the rich-man’s Vegas/Miami. It’s for trendy fashions, high-scale jewelry/watches, gourmet dinners, and spending of money. Naturally, this attracts a lot of folks from England, Germany, and such....to run the business operations, and they need the lifestyle that the skyscraper offers.

Everyone seems to act like it’s all set to run forever.

[jjotto]

Beirut was once the combined Paris and Switzerland of the Middle East...

[minnesota_bound]

I hope it falls to the ground

[pepsionice]

How many five and six star hotels in Beirut today?

It seems like every month now...Dubai wraps up another six-star hotel. Everybody acts like it’s the norm.

I live in Germany and they continually run ad’s for hotels in Dubai...discounted prices now for the big name hotels because they can’t keep them filled up and making money. Beyond the glitz, there’s nothing much else to draw a guy there.

[proud American in Canada]

How terrible... prayers for those who are trapped.

[DUMBGRUNT]

sub-par building materials and shortcuts

Nothing much in a North American highrise to sustain a fire,power wires are in conduit.

If it it burns it's not in the design specifications.
All floor penetrations are sealed with an intumescent fireproofing.
Yes there is a gap behind the curtain wall and that too is to be sealed.

Could the occupants belongings sustain a fire like this one?

[DUMBGRUNT]

Nice find!

“The reason why it’s not known is maybe because they are too busy extinguishing fires and not resourced enough to investigate them,” he is quoted as saying.

“They will ultimately find and force a solution because the financial implications for them of a series of fire disasters is not something they will want to deal with,” he says.

The Standard Oil building in Chicago (now Aon) had marble cladding that warped and occasionally fell off!
The refacing cost more than the original building cost!

[RegulatorCountry]

The buildup and marketing of Dubai has always struck a deep chord of wrongness with me, and I’m not entirely certain why. But, all those manmade islands sinking and shoddily constructed high-rises that are very prone to fire do little to contradict that gut feeling. Something is very wrong there.

[Jan_Sobieski]

These true reports may be why you feel so uneasy...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gMh-vlQwrmU

http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=espn+camel+boys+of+uae&FORM=VIRE4#view=detail&mid=B0BAD46186D47343D43EB0BAD46186D47343D43E

[SamAdams76]

I would like very much to live in a residential high rise but I cannot afford it.

They are building a residential tower in Manhattan that will towering over even the Empire State Building, which sits some 22 blocks away. I believe the upper floor will go for $84,000,000. Even the lower floors will be in the millions of dollars.

But who would want to be one of the ones living at the bottom of such a skyscraper?

If I had an unlimited amount of money, I would build a skyscraper about a mile high. Maybe 5,000 feet and 448 stories.

I would want to live on the 448th floor and have a patio on the roof with a Weber Grill and a swimming pool.

[Jan_Sobieski]

When in Dubai, I had a Christian Chinese businessman whom I knew through a friend give me a tour. While going around, I asked him what he thought of the Sheiks. He told me he stays as far away as he could get! I asked, “why?” He told me that they are ALL Homos! I responded, “what about the married ones?” He said, “They are the worst!!!!”

[PistolPaknMama]

Okay, go on with your bad self. I’ll stay in my house where there is only one step to the ground. But I’ll wave up at you sometime when you’re out grilling! :)

[Cvengr]

He’s only one step from the ground also. ;^)

[PistolPaknMama]

He’s only one step from the ground also. ;^)

Hehe, good point!