Mock fire on Burj Khalifa's 112th floor put out in 10 minutes

Annual evacuation is held ahead of new year fireworks

Firefighters get ready for annual Burj Khalifa evacuation drill on Monday. Photos: Dubai Civil Defence

Dubai Civil Defence staff from Zabeel Centre discuss the evacuation plan.

The drill is to make sure that the proper procedures are in place should an emergency arise.

Firefighting vehicles at Burj Khalifa during the drill.

Staff, guests and residents of Burj Khalifa took part in the drill.

A fire drill at the world's tallest building involved crews putting a mock blaze on the 112th floor.

Dubai Civil Defence, residents and building staff took part in an annual exercise at Burj Khalifa on Monday.

The full building evacuation prepares residents and visitors for a fire caused by shooting fireworks on New Year's Eve.

The drill began at 10am when a fire alarm sounded and a call was made to the civil defence operations room.

Fire crews from the nearby Zaabeel fire station were at the scene in four minutes and raced up to the 112th floor. The site commander said the entire exercise was carried out within 10 minutes.

“The drill is a part of the strategic plan of Dubai Civil Defence to ensure readiness and preparedness to tackle incidents and test fire alarms and fire extinguishing smart systems,” said Brig Ali Hassan Al Mutawa, assistant director general of the fire service.

Such drills can be a life-saving exercise. Two weeks ago, Dubai Civil Defence extinguished a fire that broke out at a tower on Sheikh Zayed Road at night.

The emergency services were called out to deal with the blaze at Al Ghadeer Tower in the Trade Centre area. Residents reported seeing flames at about 9.30pm.

In mid-October, firefighters tackled a blaze at a residential tower in Dubai Marina. The incident at Marina Diamond 2 in the Sayorah Street area was reported shortly before 4am.

Earlier the same month, a fire broke out at a residential building in Satwa on a Sunday morning. The authorities received a report of the fire at 11.41am and firefighters rushed to the scene.

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Fireworks are released from the building’s surface to mark the new year. EPA