Fire engulfs 86-storey Dubai skyscraper

A massive blaze engulfed one of the world's tallest residential buildings in Dubai early on Friday, residents said. Authorities said the tower had been evacuated and no injuries were reported.

Building residents could be seen on the street outside crying with several saying the fire broke out just after 1:00 am local time on Friday.

Flames shot up the sides of the unfortunately named Torch Tower in the upscale Marina neighbourhood, engulfing part of the skyscraper and sending chunks of debris plummeting below. More than 40 floors of the 86-story Torch Tower were burning on one side of the building.

Dubai's Civil Defense announced at about 3:30 am local time that firefighters had brought the blaze under control. From the images posted by authorities on Twitter, the middle and top storeys of the building sustained ostensible damage.

No injuries have been reported so far in the Torch Tower fire incident," Dubai authorities said on Twitter.

Residents and eyewitnesses have been posting images and photos of the skyscraper on fire on social media.

It was the second time in 2 ½ years that the more than 1,100-foot-tall (335 metres) tower has been ravaged by fire. Hundreds of people were evacuated in 2015 from the same building when a massive fire swept through the tower; no major casualties reported in that blaze.

Dubai police cordoned off the area around the building, keeping people about a block away from the fire and the falling debris.

Dubai is one of seven emirates that make up the United Arab Emirates (UAE), a Gulf Arab trade and investment hub.

Fires have affected several skyscrapers in the UAE, including a towering inferno that engulfed a 63-story 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.