The ‘fiery’ history of Dubai Marina

The Sulafa Tower in Dubai Marina after it caught fire, on Wednesday. Photo by Neeraj Murali

Dubai Marina’s impressive backdrop of skyscrapers is one of the most iconic skylines in the UAE. But as smoke bellowed from The Sulafa Tower on Wednesday afternoon, the sight was an all too familiar one.
In June 2012, hundreds of tenants were evacuated from the very same 76-storey residential tower — one of the tallest in Dubai — after a fire broke out in a flat on the 36th floor.
Residents of more than 700 flats in the building were woken up in the early hours by alarms, but thankfully, as with Wednesday’s incident, no one was hurt back then.
A popular spot among Dubai residents and tourists alike, Dubai Marina is home to more than 100 residential towers.
Back in February 2015, another of the Marina’s famous residential spots, The Torch Tower, went up in flames too. More than 1,000 people were removed from the building in the early hours, but again, no casualties were reported.
Aptly living up to its name, The Torch Tower fire made headlines around the world. People also took to social media, posting videos of the bright orange flames engulfing the 1,105 foot tall building.
According to Kingfield Owner Association Management Services, the building management company for The Torch Tower, “most of the damage was limited to the exterior cladding”.
But since the new building codes in Dubai were implemented in early 2013, many have brought up their concern regarding the towers built during the construction boom here — including old buildings — that have non-fire rated cladding in place.
Kingfield Owner Association Management Services later confirmed that the tower was built “strictly to code and all approvals from relevant authorities were obtained prior to the completion certificate being issued by the authorities”.
In 2014, tenants of the 32-storey Marina Tower were also forced out of their homes after a fire broke out in a restaurant on the ground floor. 60 residents of the 197-floor residential tower were able to return to their apartments just an hour after the initial alarm was raised. That fire was caused by an electrical fault in the restaurant’s kitchen early in the morning.
kelly@khaleejtimes.com

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