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Blaze engulfs Dubai skyscraper near Burj Khalifa
DUBAI: Fire engulfed a 63-storey skyscraper in downtown Dubai on Thursday night, but there appeared to be no injuries, a civil defence official said.
Large tongues of flame shooting skywards enveloped the luxury hotel and residential block, which lies across a plaza from the world's tallest building, the Burj Khalifa, where people were gathering for a spectacular fireworks display due to mark the start of the New Year.
“There are no injuries, thank God,” Major General Rashed al-Matrushi, general director of the Dubai Civil Defence, told the the pan-Arab television channel Al Arabiya.
He said the festivities would go ahead despite the fire, saying: “Of course, it will not affect the celebration.” The