People run away as a fire engulfs The Address Hotel in downtown Dubai in the United Arab Emirates December 31

People run away as a fire engulfs The Address Hotel in downtown Dubai in the United Arab Emirates December 31

People run away after the burning The Address Hotel in downtown Dubai in the United Arab Emirates December 31, 2015

A picture taken on December 31, 2015 shows the Address Downtown hotel burning after huge fire ripped through the luxury hotel near the world's tallest tower, in Dubai. People were gathering to watch New Year's Eve celebrations when the hotel caught on fire without causing casualties, according to authorities

A picture taken on December 31, 2015 shows people watching the Address Downtown hotel burning after huge fire ripped through the luxury hotel near the world's tallest tower, in Dubai. People were gathering to watch New Year's Eve celebrations when the hotel caught on fire without causing casualties, according to authorities

A picture taken on December 31, 2015 shows people watching the Address Downtown hotel burning after huge fire ripped through the luxury hotel near the world's tallest tower, in Dubai. People were gathering to watch New Year's Eve celebrations when the hotel caught on fire without causing casualties, according to authorities

A picture taken on December 31, 2015 the Address Downtown hotel burning after huge fire ripped through the luxury hotel near the world's tallest tower, in Dubai

A picture taken on December 31, 2015 the Address Downtown hotel burning after huge fire ripped through the luxury hotel near the world's tallest tower, in Dubai

A picture taken on December 31, 2015 shows people watching the Address Downtown hotel burning after huge fire ripped through the luxury hotel near the world's tallest tower, in Dubai

Smoke billows from the Address Downtown Hotel, after it caught on fire hours earlier, past fireworks, near the Burj Khalifa, the world's tallest tower in Dubai, on January 1, 2015

A massive fireworks display kicked off for New Year at the world's tallest tower in Dubai, while plumes of smoke billowed in the air from a fire raging at a nearby luxury tower.

Tens of thousands of people whistled and cheered at the show taking place at the Burj Khalifa skyscraper as teams of firefighters were working to put out the blaze that had engulfed a 63-story luxury hotel and residential building.

Irishman Kenneth Flynn spoke to Sky News from the scene of the burning Address Hotel Dubai, where he was inside having a drink with his partner when the blaze broke out.

The Kerryman, who works in the UAE, said that no fire alarm went off in the upscale hotel and that he was “terrified” as events unfolded.

Expand Close A picture taken on December 31, 2015 shows people watching the Address Downtown hotel burning after huge fire ripped through the luxury hotel near the world's tallest tower, in Dubai. People were gathering to watch New Year's Eve celebrations when the hotel caught on fire without causing casualties, according to authorities AFP/Getty Images / Facebook

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Whatsapp A picture taken on December 31, 2015 shows people watching the Address Downtown hotel burning after huge fire ripped through the luxury hotel near the world's tallest tower, in Dubai. People were gathering to watch New Year's Eve celebrations when the hotel caught on fire without causing casualties, according to authorities

Mr Flynn was on the second floor with his partner when she "noticed something falling from the building” he said.

"When we walked out, the whole building was just ablaze. It was unbelievable. The heat was so intense.”

There was a “people crushing each other” in a panicked bid to get out of the luxury hotel as the blaze took hold he reported.

“I see the firefighters on the building now and they basically did the best job they could under the circumstances.

Expand Close A picture taken on December 31, 2015 shows the Address Downtown hotel burning after huge fire ripped through the luxury hotel near the world's tallest tower, in Dubai. People were gathering to watch New Year's Eve celebrations when the hotel caught on fire without causing casualties, according to authorities AFP/Getty Images / Facebook

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Whatsapp A picture taken on December 31, 2015 shows the Address Downtown hotel burning after huge fire ripped through the luxury hotel near the world's tallest tower, in Dubai. People were gathering to watch New Year's Eve celebrations when the hotel caught on fire without causing casualties, according to authorities

“I’m no expert or fire engineer but what I can see here is the fascia of the building seems to be burning, it seemed to go up like paper.

“There is debris actually spreading everywhere from it.

“I’ve never seen anything going up so fast.”

Just minutes before the fireworks began, large explosions could be heard from inside the burning building, which was cloaked in thick black smoke. It was not clear what caused the blasts.

At least 14 people were slightly injured and one person suffered a heart attack from the smoke and over-crowding during evacuation late Thursday, according to Dubai Media Office. The statement said another person was moderately injured, without elaborating further. No children were among those injured, it said.

Around one million people had been expected to gather around the Burj Khalifa to watch the fireworks. Dubai's economy depends heavily on tourism, and New Year is one of the busiest seasons, drawing people from around the world to watch the fireworks that the emirate puts on at the world's tallest tower, as well as the sail-shaped Burj Al Arab and over a man-made palm-shaped island.

Organisers had installed 400,000 LED lights on the Burj Khalifa and used some 1.6 tons of fireworks for the seven-minute extravaganza. Two years ago at New Year, Dubai broke the world record for the largest fireworks display.

The fire engulfed the Address Downtown, one of the most upscale hotels and residences in Dubai, which was likely to have been packed with people because of its clear view of the 828-metre (905-yard) tall Burj Khalifa.

The hotel towers over the Souq Al Bahar, a popular shopping area with walkways that connect to the Burj Khalifa and the Middle East's largest mall, the Dubai Mall.

It was not immediately clear what caused the fire, which ran up the 63-story building. The Address is a 991 foot-tall (302-metre) skyscraper that has 626 luxury apartments and 196 hotel rooms, according to Skyscraper Centre, which tracks such buildings.

Dubai's Media Office wrote on its official Twitter account that four teams of firefighters were working to put out the blaze. They said the fire appears to have originated on a 20th floor terrace.

The fire broke out about two hours before the midnight fireworks display was set to begin. To manage the crowds, Dubai police had closed off some roads and the metro before the fire broke out.

Nearly an hour after the fire began, some onlookers began to leave while others stood, pressed against crowd barricades, watching the blaze. Among them was Chris Browne, a tourist from London, who watched with her husband, Stephen, standing behind her. They said they hoped no one was injured.

"It's pretty scary stuff," she said.

Standing nearby, Stuart O'Donnell, a British intensive care nurse who works in Dubai, said he was worried for those inside the building as it was in a prime location to watch the fireworks display.

"You feel sad for the people inside... It spread so quickly when it started," he said.

He and others in the crowd wondered what had started the blaze.

"I do feel suspicious of when a fire breaks out on New Year's Eve," he said.

The Dubai Media Office said that Dubai's tourism department would provide guests evacuated from the building with alternative hotel accommodation.

After the fireworks show, Girlie Omilda, a Filipina who works in the aviation industry in Dubai, said she was glad to have seen the fireworks, even as the tower continued to burn. She too was concerned about threats from extremists like the Islamic State group. She said Dubai's large expatriate, non-Muslim population made the city a tempting target.

"Sometimes it makes me feel unsafe," she said.

Online Editors