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White Knight
31st Dec 2015, 17:23
Not looking good... Hope no one has friends or family in Soul Al Bahar or the Address Hotel!!!

Take care out there...

dubaigong
31st Dec 2015, 18:09
What do you mean ?

White Knight
31st Dec 2015, 18:24
Take a look at the news on TV such as the BBC or CNN...

Capn Rex Havoc
31st Dec 2015, 18:28
Did Jetman auger in?

- seriously tho - there is a good barbi fired up

Global Nomad
31st Dec 2015, 20:40
Orderly evacuation in 20 mins, only the exterior burning as the sprinklers took care of the inside, caused by a curtain on a balcony, fire is 90% under control.....CNN qoting government sources.

casablanca
31st Dec 2015, 21:37
Appears that better flame retardant materials are in required......

Voodoo 3
31st Dec 2015, 22:39
I was in the Souk at a friends apartment at the base of the Address, having drinks and looking forward to the celebrations. Suddenly another friend saw the fire and it was terrifying! The speed at which it raced up the building was astonishing.

We immediately evacuated and spent new year sitting on the grass across Emaar boulevard praying that everyone was able to evacuate which it presently appears thankfully, according to news reports, they have.

A memorable New Year for largely the wrong reasons but it's kind of when you are involved in an event where at one point you seem to be running for what could be your life you realize exactly what you priorities are. Must say that my new year resolutions have swiftly altered because of this event.

Ophion
1st Jan 2016, 04:07
Some people are so easily offended. You must walk around wrapped in cotton wool all day.

Capn Rex Havoc
1st Jan 2016, 04:33
fantom-voodoo -

Relax, It was reported that no one was killed or even injured at the time I posted.

If anyone was hurt, then I would remove the post.

Additionally, a burning building has absolutely zero aviation input relevant to PPRUNE.


Have a stressfree 2016 guys.

BigGeordie
1st Jan 2016, 07:21
Sky News has an eyewitness report of an anything but organised evacuation with people climbing over each other to get out and overwhelemed hotel staff. I think I will take their reporting rather than local sources. Given the scale of damage visible this morning it is a bit surprising there weren't more serious injuries than have been officially reported.

crewmeal
1st Jan 2016, 08:02
I bet some rich kid's hover board started it!

fantom
1st Jan 2016, 09:09
Removed. Mea culpa. OTT.

The Outlaw
1st Jan 2016, 10:37
There was no fire...

The buildings in this country are built with the highest quality workmanship and the best safety equipment available.

The smoke (if any) was reported as coming from a taxi with a worn engine, the driver and the taxi were arrested and deported.

There was a second report of smoke that was traced to the rear tires of a vehicle with a 600hp engine and a 4 digit plate. This was investigated and the tires were arrested and deported.

Nothing to see here now move along.:hmm:

ExpatBrat
2nd Jan 2016, 08:12
I read a report today that said the materials used on the outside of the building included thermoplastic polyurethane, other plastics and an aluminum composite, all of which will burn. Because they will burn so easily all these materials were banned for such use in 2013. This was after the height of the building boom here which means those materials were widely used in construction all over the city....so the same thing could happen again. He estimated these materials are on the outside of about 70% of skyscrapers in Dubai.


Since a lot of pilots and cabin crew live in these buildings I think you could make the case there's at least an indirect relevance to an aviation forum.


No cause identified yet (or at least not admitted to in public).

PAXfips
2nd Jan 2016, 08:48
The used materials and the typically used fire countermeasures are a longer known problem.

Seeing that it burned bottom-up, outside-only and very dark, cloudy fumes indicates the type of the fire pretty much.

Second half of this german report (likely that german construction/delivery has been user) shows a burn test which escalates quickly.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ekD7vq18suA

RT reports that the building saw some reignition.

fatbus
2nd Jan 2016, 09:58
Don't be concerned , an extensive investigation will be conducted to make sure the truth is properly covered up. Long track record of such acts.

gehenna
2nd Jan 2016, 14:55
Hey Muttley

Your comments are in rather poor taste and not too amusing, I would suggest.

donpizmeov
2nd Jan 2016, 15:58
I saw the humour mutts

Capn Rex Havoc
2nd Jan 2016, 18:48
I started the Burj thread because it had nothing to with aviation, as this one has nothing to with aviation. The Burj one got shut down (tho I thought it was highly entertaining),

yet this one is continuing. Shame shame mods.

Expat BratSince a lot of pilots and cabin crew live in these buildings I think you could make the case there's at least an indirect relevance to an aviation forum.


Well al of of pilots and cabin crew drive on the roads, best we start a thread on car accidents.

In fact I think I shall. :E

Old King Coal
3rd Jan 2016, 03:30
For those with short memories, almost the exact same fires occurred on:

28th Apr 2012 - Al Tayer Tower (near Al Nahda Park) / Sharjah
See: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tzA3RzJ6wyM

17th Nov 2012 - Tamweel Tower (JLT) / Dubai.
See: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-L3TUzZU7Ys

21st Feb 2015 - The Marina Torch / Dubai
See: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KmrVe3CwYVw

There may well be others that I've missed?

Many (most) high-rise buildings in the UAE use external cladding panels with thermoplastic cores, i.e. panels that consist of plastic / polyurethane fillings sandwiched between aluminium sheets. Such cladding is not necessarily hazardous, but it can be flammable under certain circumstances; and (depending on a skyscraper's design) those panels may channel fire through the window frames and thence into the interior of a building.

In 2013 the UAE revised its building safety regulations, requiring that cladding on all new buildings (those over 15 meters / 50 feet tall) be fire-resistant. However, those regulations do not apply retrospectively, i.e. they do not apply to buildings erected prior to 2013, and therein the vast majority of the UAE’s skyscrapers fall outside of those 'new' regulations. E.g. The Address Downtown was completed in 2008 and thus did not have to comply with the 2013 building regulations.

Ah well, they do say that art mimics life, wherein it looks like they got it right in 1974 film: The Towering Inferno (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zsRnQQpklPM)... and, until they fix and / or replace such flammable external cladding, there will be more to follow!

Schnowzer
3rd Jan 2016, 04:59
I was amazed how many there are. 8 "notable" skyscraper fires last year.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skyscraper_fire#Notable_fires

Dubaian
3rd Jan 2016, 07:57
Balconies are the real danger point for external fires starting. Discarded cigarette ends falling into rubbish, barbecues, cigarettes touching flimsy curtains on the way in/out through the sliding doors......
Flush façade buildings, some of which do not even have opening windows, (e.g. Gate Towers in Abu Dhabi) are much less likely to catch fire from external causes.
Just something to bear in mind when you look for a place to rent in the area.

Mr Mac
4th Jan 2016, 21:00
Dubain / Old King Coal
Very well posted and quite prophetic as I was talking about this with one of your NZ colleagues ( 777 Pilot) while he was heading to the UK to see spouse and family pre Christmas.
There are a large number of towers throughout the Gulf as Old King Coal highlighted that have "Roman candled". My speciality is façade engineering and this characteristic is well known, and has been designed / mitigated against for a number of years in other areas, but at a cost which resulted in increased build costs and requiring a skilled design / installation team. This resulted in jobs being lost to more value engineering based contractors, (Its not engineering it is cost cutting, there is little if any engineering involved !) who maybe were less concerned of the out come, or more commonly just know they will disappear with luck before this type of issue occurs. As for German engineering in this field, they have had, and continue to have many respected firms in this area of expertise, but even they suffer on occasions when working with unscrupulous companies in your geographical area. Made for an interesting counterpoint to the Fire work display though.


Cheers
Mr Mac

Dubaian
5th Jan 2016, 05:14
Emaar have already appointed a contractor to carry out clean up and refurbishment. DUTCO. The local arm of Balfour Beatty from UK, who also have an in house MEP organisation BK Gulf. Seems Dutco will appoint a consultant to oversee the works. DUTCO built the adjacent Dubai Mall and are now extending that.

The original contractor(s) of The Address were Besix (from Belgium) when the place was first built. More info here https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Address_Downtown_Dubai

Presumably the damaged cladding must be replaced with new fire-resistant / fire-retardant panels and the undamaged part of the tower (maybe around 85% of the total) will also be upgraded to match? That won't be cheap.

Dubaian
29th Mar 2016, 06:07
Another towering inferno - this time in Ajman. Reportedly no casualties and successful evacuation which suggests it was again more or less limited to the external cladding. And burning falling debris has propagated it to at least one adjacent tower. Not good.


Fire engulfs residential tower near Ajman Corniche | The National (http://www.thenational.ae/uae/fire-engulfs-residential-tower-near-ajman-corniche)

Mister Warning
29th Mar 2016, 12:42
No casualties = no casualties reported by State owned media.