Emergency services were on the scene at The Torch in Dubai Marina. Greg Tanner / The National
Emergency services were on the scene at The Torch in Dubai Marina. Greg Tanner / The National
Emergency services were on the scene at The Torch in Dubai Marina. Greg Tanner / The National
Emergency services were on the scene at The Torch in Dubai Marina. Greg Tanner / The National

Fire breaks out at The Torch tower in Dubai Marina


Ali Al Shouk
  • English
  • Arabic

A fire broke out at one of Dubai Marina's tallest buildings on Thursday evening.

Rescue teams were called to the blaze at The Torch tower.

The fire started in a restaurant on the ground floor about 8pm, according to an update sent to residents of the building. Residents were not affected and the tower was not evacuated.

Police, fire and ambulances were at the scene and part of the street outside was cordoned off.

"The emergency services were called and attended the blaze," the update read.

"The fire was extinguished and the incident was concluded by 9pm and did not affect any other parts of the building."

The building has seen a spate of fires in recent years.

A discarded cigarette butt was blamed on a fire at the building in August 2017.

That blaze forced many of the 475 residents to seek alternative accommodation.

In February 2015, the same building was hit by a serious fire that started on the 51st floor. It underwent extensive renovation and repairs following the accident.

What is graphene?

Graphene is extracted from graphite and is made up of pure carbon.

It is 200 times more resistant than steel and five times lighter than aluminum.

It conducts electricity better than any other material at room temperature.

It is thought that graphene could boost the useful life of batteries by 10 per cent.

Graphene can also detect cancer cells in the early stages of the disease.

The material was first discovered when Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov were 'playing' with graphite at the University of Manchester in 2004.

Updated: March 14, 2024, 6:54 PM