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Huge fire erupts at Dubai hotel

by Jesse Byrnes

A massive fire has erupted at a luxury hotel in Dubai, engulfing the side of the building as crowds gathered to watch a nearby fireworks display on New Year’s Eve.
 
{mosads}Images appeared on social media showing The Address Hotel going up in flames shortly after noon eastern time on Thursday — about three hours before the exact end of 2015 in Dubai.
 
Debris was seen in images and tweets falling from the building, which is near the world’s largest skyscraper, the Burj Khalifa, the planned setting of the fireworks display that was about to begin.
 
The Dubai government media’s office said on Twitter that authorities were responding to the scene. No casualties have been reported yet.
 
A spokeswoman for The Address hotel chain said the building had been “fully evacuated” but was unsure whether anyone was still inside, according to The Telegraph. 
 
The Dubai media office said there were 14 minor injuries, one moderate injury and one reported heart attack due to “over-crowding” and smoke at the site of the fire.
 
The Dubai government said on Twitter that the fire reportedly started on the building’s 20th floor and “has not spread inside,” where it said fire extinguishers are operating.
 
The government said the New Year’s celebrations would continue as scheduled.
 
Updated at 2:39 p.m.