A huge blaze set off at a 48-storey apartment building in Sharjah, UAE, turning it into a giant column of fire.
The fire broke out at the Abbco Tower in Sharjah, UAE’s third largest emirate bordering Dubai, late on Tuesday, which neighbour Dubai, saw flames shoot up them.
Firefighters and police surrounded the tower, while authorities offered no immediate cause for the blaze.
According to local media, seven people were treated for minor injuries from the fire in the tower in Sharjah's Al Nahda area and taken to hospital for treatment.
Colonel Dr. Ali Abu Al Zoud, Deputy Director General of Central Operations of Sharjah Police said drones were used to check if there were any people trapped inside.
Col. Dr. Al Zoud told Gulf News: “We have contacted the building owner and alternate accommodation will be provided to all residents. It is still not clear how many apartments have been affected."
Residents in at least five neighbouring buildings were evacuated. A resident from a neighbouring building told Khaleej Times: "We had just finished our Taraweeh when he heard commotion outside. On checking with the security guard, we realised the building was on fire.
"The entire family came out just to be safe. Later we realised the scale of fire when we saw it first hand."
Samantha, who lives in a building nearby added: "We heard commotion and then saw fire trucks within a few minutes. We were scared and left with the whole family."
Observers believe that the UAE, including skyscraper-studded Dubai, has suffered a spate of fires in its high-rises in recent years.
According to British 'Telegraph', the reason for the blazes is the material used for the buildings' sidings, called aluminum composite panel cladding.
"While some types of cladding can be made with fire-resistant material, experts say those that have caught fire in the UAE and elsewhere were not designed to meet stricter safety standards and often were put onto buildings without any breaks to slow or halt a possible blaze," newspaper report said.
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