A fire raced up a high-rise tower in the United Arab Emirates city of Ajman late on Monday, the latest in a series of skyscraper blazes in the Persian Gulf nation that is home to the world’s tallest building.
Images shared on social media showed bright yellow flames spreading up the side of the building as chunks of burning material tumbled to the ground.
Emirati Minister of the Interior Sheikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan, rushed to Ajman to help coordinate the response to the blaze, Ajman police said.
Photo: AP
There were no immediate reports of casualties.
Ajman is home to many commuters who work in the Persian Gulf commercial hub of Dubai, further to the south. Like Dubai, it is one of the seven emirates that make up the Emirati federation.
Police sealed off a major road near the tower snarling traffic. Hundreds of evacuated residents and onlookers crowded nearby to watch the building go up in flames.
The Dubai-based Gulf News newspaper quoted Ajman Civil Defense Director Brigadier Saleh Saeed al-Matroushi as saying that firefighters were at the scene working to put out the fire.
A civil defense official reached by reporters confirmed that firefighting efforts were ongoing late into the night, but had no further details.
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