Dubai fire: Footage shows tenants fleeing smoke-filled tower


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Footage has shown the moment Dubai fire crews led tenants to safety during a blaze in a residential tower on Saturday evening.

One person was killed and two were injured in the incident in International City.

Dubai Civil Defence crews issued stranded residents with breathing gear as they descended a stairwell from the upper floors.

Separate eyewitness footage showed flames on the roof and upper floors of the 10-storey building.

“The building has been evacuated to ensure the safety of its residents. The incident resulted in one fatality and two injured currently receiving medical care,” Dubai Government Media Office said on Saturday night.

International City, located to the south of Downtown and Dubai's main airport, is a sprawling suburb of residential towers with some of the cheapest rents in the city.

Authorities have not yet said what caused the blaze on Saturday.

In April, 16 people died and nine were injured when a fire tore through a low-rise apartment building in the Deira area. Authorities said a lack of compliance with building standards caused the blaze.

Last week, survivors of the fire spoke to The National of their ordeal nine months on.

Survivors reflect on deadly Deira fire - in pictures

  • Yemdzu Doris Claire, from Cameroon, is one of the survivors of the blaze in Deira that killed 16 people and injured nine others on April 15. Leslie Pableo / The National
    Yemdzu Doris Claire, from Cameroon, is one of the survivors of the blaze in Deira that killed 16 people and injured nine others on April 15. Leslie Pableo / The National
  • Ms Claire, right, lived with her friend Nicole Abinkeng, also from Cameroon, who fell to her death after trying to escape the flames from her fourth-floor apartment. Photo: Yemdzu Doris Claire
    Ms Claire, right, lived with her friend Nicole Abinkeng, also from Cameroon, who fell to her death after trying to escape the flames from her fourth-floor apartment. Photo: Yemdzu Doris Claire
  • Tchafa Louis, from Cameroon, who escaped the fire by jumping from a fifth-floor balcony, still has nightmares about a neighbour falling to her death. Photo: Tchafa Louis
    Tchafa Louis, from Cameroon, who escaped the fire by jumping from a fifth-floor balcony, still has nightmares about a neighbour falling to her death. Photo: Tchafa Louis
  • Gudu Saliyakoondu, the building's security guard from southern India's Tamil Nadu state, died while trying to save the lives of residents. Photo: Gudu family
    Gudu Saliyakoondu, the building's security guard from southern India's Tamil Nadu state, died while trying to save the lives of residents. Photo: Gudu family
  • The five-storey residential building in Deira, Dubai, was engulfed in flames on April 15. EPA
    The five-storey residential building in Deira, Dubai, was engulfed in flames on April 15. EPA
  • Families have since moved back into the building but many survivors say the horror of the blaze haunts them every day. Pawan Singh / The National
    Families have since moved back into the building but many survivors say the horror of the blaze haunts them every day. Pawan Singh / The National
Updated: December 24, 2023, 9:22 AM