What Caused The Address Fire In Dubai?

A fire broke out in a luxury hotel and apartment building in Dubai on Thursday evening as revelers in the city were ready to celebrate the ringing in of the New Year. As the blaze climbed the 63-story building, it was not yet clear what caused the fire at The Address Hotel, though it was reportedly next to a planned New Year's Eve fireworks display that was about to start. Firefighters are on the scene, and though the cause has not been confirmed, many details are still emerging, with the current claim coming from a CNN reporter that the cause could have been a burning curtain.

The Address Hotel is near the Burj Khalifa, the world's tallest skyscraper, in downtown Dubai. The Dubai Media Office tweeted that "Authorities are currently on-site to address the incident swiftly and safely." Several tweets in Arabic also indicated that the fire started on the 20th floor outside the hotel and that internal systems in the building dedicated to firefighting were currently deployed to prevent the fire from spreading inside. According to Al Jazeera, one person died after suffering a heart attack, though the Dubai police chief has denied that. Officials have confirmed, however, that there were 14 minor injuries and one moderate injury. Everyone received prompt medical attention.

The cause of the fire is not suspected to have been terrorism related, though that has not yet officially been confirmed. With officials stating that the fire started from outside the building — possibly on a balcony — the fire could have been due to anything from a barbecue to a candle, from a faulty light to arson, etc.

Although 1.6 tons of fireworks were expected to be used in the NYE celebration, the event had not yet begun when the fire started. Whether or not the display had anything to do with the cause of the fire has yet to be determined.

And at midnight, the fireworks went on.