• Fire engulfs 63-storey hotel close to Dubai's big firework display
• Officials say only 14 people hurt but medics claim figure higher
• Fireworks display at neighbouring Burj Khalifa goes ahead
A massive fireworks display kicked off New Year's 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-storey luxury hotel and residential building. Just minutes before the fireworks began, large explosions could be heard from inside the burning building, which was cloaked in thick black smoke.
At least 14 people were slightly injured and one person suffered a heart attack from the smoke and over-crowding during evacuation late on 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.
However, a medic at the scene claimed that at least 60 people were hurt.
Around 1 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's 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.
Fire at The Address hotel, Downtown Dubai (Video by KT surfer Deepak Bulchandani) pic.twitter.com/2zDhcPH1h3
— Khaleej Times (@khaleejtimes) December 31, 2015
Address downtown on fire. @gulf_news pic.twitter.com/v5EyfIuTvL
— Sonal Sayani (@sonalsayani) December 31, 2015
Organisers had installed 400,000 LED lights on the Burj Khalifa and used around 1.6 tons of fireworks for the seven-minute extravaganza. Two years ago on New Year's, 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 828m 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.
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.
Tom Stroud, 35, on holiday in Dubai, said: "There was no bang or bomb-like sound, we just looked over and saw an inferno. It gathered speed extremely quickly."
Maha Abouelnebin said: "Oh my God ... that's a fire. We decided we needed to get out of there."
She said that hotel staff moved people out of the hotel quickly. "They got us out calmly ... quickly. We were impressed with how easy we got out of there."
#dubai right now pic.twitter.com/7h73ehELhq
— Atieh S (@AtiehS) December 31, 2015
Another witness, who watched from a nearby building, tweeted: "People are running away! This is so horrific!!!!! Falling on people's houses."
Mohammed Al Sarraf, told the National the fire was raging.
"It's gotten so much bigger in five minutes. It's gone from just a small fire at the foot of the building and now it's shooting up the middle and the top."
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.
