In the wake of June’s Grenfell tower disaster in London, which claimed the lives of around 80 people, another high-rise fire has been reported in Dubai caused by similar combustible cladding. From The Australian:
A blaze is engulfing one of the world’s tallest residential buildings in Dubai, but authorities say the tower has been evacuated and no injuries have been reported.
Flames shot up the sides of the Torch tower in the upscale Marina district in the second blaze at the building since 2015, causing burning debris flying down…
Residents and eyewitnesses have been posting images and photos of the 79-storey skyscraper in fire on social media…
Fires have affected several skyscrapers in the United Arab Emirates, including a towering inferno that engulfed a 63-storey luxury hotel in Dubai on New Year’s Eve in 2016.
Building and safety experts have cited a popular type of cladding covering the buildings that can be highly flammable.
Last month a Senate Inquiry was told that thousands of apartments in Sydney and Melbourne are potentially at risk from similar flammable cladding.
Leith van Onselen is Chief Economist at the MB Fund and MB Super. He is also a co-founder of MacroBusiness.
Leith has previously worked at the Australian Treasury, Victorian Treasury and Goldman Sachs.
