A fire tore through one of the tallest residential buildings in the world in the United Arab Emirates city of Dubai early Saturday morning.
Witnesses described the 2 a.m. fire at the Torch tower in the city's marina district as like "the Titanic going down," according to Gulfnews.com. The fire, believed to have started on the 52nd floor, had already spread to over 15 floors by the time firefighters arrived and subdued the flames.
Scores of sleeping residents awoke to fire alarms and fled the 1,105-foot structure.
"There have been three fire alarms every week recently and all were false," one unnamed resident told Gulfnews.
"This time I heard it and said it must be false. But then I smelt smoke. I took my wallet and ran down along with my wife. We live on the 59th floor."
No one was reportedly killed in the blaze, but some were treated for smoke inhalation. Residents of nearby towers were also evacuated as a precaution due to strong winds, which most likely aided in spreading the flames.
The cause of the fire at the Torch, which opened four years ago, is still under investigation.
Survivors on the ground dealt with burning debris that fell from high up the tower with 79 floors. However, residents praised building managers who made sure everyone was evacuated, as well as the firefighters, who arrived quickly and snuffed out the flames by 5 a.m.
"The firefighters did well," Mehdi Ansari, who lives on the 27th floor, told NBC News. "They were pretty quick, they organized people, got them out, gave them water and found others."
