Select praise for Dubai emergency teams after blaze
SALFORD property developer Select Group has hailed the Dubai emergency services following the blaze which ripped through The Torch tower in Dubai Marina.
The company commended the Dubai authorities for their swift response in helping to bring the fire which swept up the 86-storey, 353m building on Friday night under control.
Select said more than 1,000 people were safely evacuated from the building in the middle of a sandstorm. The highest occupied floor sits 303m above ground level.
Although the strong winds from the storm fanned the fire, Select Group said the building’s fire safety systems and evacuation protocols worked as planned and the fire was brought under control quickly.
“Our representatives have been on site since news of the incident broke to assist both the authorities and the owners’ association (Kingfield Owners’ Association) which has set up its own support centre on the 97th floor of the adjacent Princess Tower,” a spokesman said.
The Torch Tower was completed and handed over in 2011. Select Group owns the building, and the architectural, structural and MEP engineering work was completed by the National Engineering Bureau, as was the site supervision work. The main contractor was Dubai Civil Engineering.
It is the fourth tallest residential tower in Dubai, and eighth tallest residential tower in the world.
Dubai’s police chief, General Khamis Mattar, said the cause of the fire was under investigation but did not suspect it was caused by any deliberate criminal act. Seven people were treated for smoke inhalation following the fire.
