Fire rips through 75-storey Torch Tower skyscraper in Dubai

[canetoad]

Source: The Age

BREAKING
August 4 2017 - 8:58AM


Fire has ripped through the Torch Tower, a 75-storey Dubai apartment building, one of the world's tallest residential blocks, sending plumes of smoke into the air and debris falling below.

There were no immediate reports of injuries.

A Dubai Police spokesperson told Gulf News the fire broke out on the ninth floor and spread to the upper four floors.

"Civil defence and police [are on] the scene now to control the fire," the spokesperson said.

Read more: http://www.theage.com.au/world/fire-rips-through-75storey-torch-tower-skyscraper-in-dubai-20170803-gxp2jb.html

[Purveyor]

1. Why all the sudden these high rise fires? nt

[Igel]

4. Some's random.

Things bunch up on their own.

Some's attention. Before the Grenfall one, this would have been minor news and overlooked or quickly forgotten. (Still minor news. Still likely quickly forgotten.)

[ucrdem]

17. It's the aluminum cladding.

Full of styrofoam or something similar that likes to burn. What could go wrong eh? Same stuff that set off that London council highrise a few months ago. Stupidest building fad ever.

[jberryhill]

2. Torch Tower?

Good lord, were OJ Simpson and Paul Newman there?

[Marthe48]

3. Any russian oligarchs?

n/t

[LeftInTX]

11. You left out Steve McQueen!

[jberryhill]

13. Everybody was in that awful movie

Two hours for the brilliant idea - Hey, let's put out the fire with water!

[LeftInTX]

14. I loved that movie!

All those people getting burnt was pretty over the top in 1974.
I was on the edge of my seat watching that thing.

[jmowreader]

5. In retrospect, naming the building that may not have been a great idea

[jberryhill]

6. My goodness, this is the second time

And you would have thought they'd have renamed after the first fire.

[riversedge]

10. I saw the name of the building and thought--whow-what irony.

[sandensea]

7. Sad. Life imitating art again.

[LeftInTX]

12. That video is bad ass - LOL

Love the Towering Inferno

[sandensea]

15. Glad you liked it.

Oldie but goodie.

As formulaic and predictable as it was, the Towering Inferno was well-timed, amazingly well cast and after all these years still manages to touch a nerve - at least for me (and I suspect many others).

They don't make them like that anymore.

[BigmanPigman]

8. Air first I thought it said Trump Tower and I thought,

"Man, I bet he did it for a distraction from Russia".

[riversedge]

9. Here is the next Trump Tower --and it is NOT a skyscrapper...

[dembotoz]

16. Aptly named torch tower