Panic in Dubai as inferno rips though 63-storey hotel... but fails to halt New Year firework celebrations just 500 yards away.
New Year's revellers were sent running for their lives after a fire engulfed a five-star hotel just moments from where Dubai's spectacular fireworks display was due to begin. The Address Downtown caught fire at about 9.30pm Dubai time, with the flames appearing to reach from the ground floor up another 40-or-so storeys of the 63 floor building. Those who escaped described how people climbed over each other in their rush to escape the burning building. One Briton was forced to carry his disabled mother on his back. A medic has revealed that at least 60 people were hurt, many with crush injuries, with officials saying one person suffered a heart attack. The hotel would likely have been packed with people waiting in their rooms for the best view of the fireworks display at the Burj Khalifa, the world's tallest skyscraper, which sits just across the lake from The Address. Those waiting below found themselves in danger of being struck by burning debris falling from the bu...