First Pictures of Dubai Inferno Hotel's Ravaged Interior
First Pictures of Dubai Inferno Hotel's Ravaged Interior
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DUBAI - The first images from inside the five star Dubai hotel ravaged by a massive New Year's Eve fire show the scale and devastation caused by the raging inferno.
The blaze at the Address Downtown, one of the most upscale hotels in the Emirati state, started at around 9.30 pm Dubai time on Thursday night just 500 yards from where the fireworks were due to begin. Firefighters managed to subdue the fire, but the luxury building remains smouldering even now.
Photographs taken inside the skyscraper today illustrate, the destruction caused by the huge flames. One photographer had a miraculous escape, using a window cleaner's heavy duty rope to get to safety.
The man, who wished to remain anonymous, had been on a balcony planning to take pictures of the firework display, when the fire broke out.
Fearing he would be suffocated if he re-entered the hotel, he grabbed the cable which was attached to a window-cleaning platform and tied it to his belt. He was left precariously standing on the balcony sill. Clutching hold of the rope with one arm, he used the other to ring for help. Civil Defence workers told him to remain calm and half an hour later they approached his floor.
He said: 'When I saw lights and heard the sounds of footsteps at the floor I was in, I started tapping on the aluminium to get their attention. I think I was the only person left stuck that long. The rope was my saviour'.
After firefighters extinguished the blaze, residents could see the external cladding on the corners of the building was charred black and mangled for dozens of floors. Nobody was killed, but seven people were treated at the scene for smoke inhalation.
The blaze at the Address Downtown, one of the most upscale hotels in the Emirati state, started at around 9.30 pm Dubai time on Thursday night just 500 yards from where the fireworks were due to begin. Firefighters managed to subdue the fire, but the luxury building remains smouldering even now.
Photographs taken inside the skyscraper today illustrate, the destruction caused by the huge flames. One photographer had a miraculous escape, using a window cleaner's heavy duty rope to get to safety.
The man, who wished to remain anonymous, had been on a balcony planning to take pictures of the firework display, when the fire broke out.
Fearing he would be suffocated if he re-entered the hotel, he grabbed the cable which was attached to a window-cleaning platform and tied it to his belt. He was left precariously standing on the balcony sill. Clutching hold of the rope with one arm, he used the other to ring for help. Civil Defence workers told him to remain calm and half an hour later they approached his floor.
He said: 'When I saw lights and heard the sounds of footsteps at the floor I was in, I started tapping on the aluminium to get their attention. I think I was the only person left stuck that long. The rope was my saviour'.
After firefighters extinguished the blaze, residents could see the external cladding on the corners of the building was charred black and mangled for dozens of floors. Nobody was killed, but seven people were treated at the scene for smoke inhalation.
(rnz)
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