Massive Dubai High Rise Fire. Fireworks To Proceed?

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A massive high rise fire in Dubai is not only raising suspicions but controversy since the city still wants to proceed with it's fireworks at the same time smoldering debris is coming off this building. On the news they said particulate pieces of metal are falling and feeling like rain on those below.

http://abcnews.go.com/International/hotel-fire-erupts-years-fireworks-location-dubai/story?id=36032201


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Either this is some of the most negligent construction & design ever or authorities don't know or letting it be known this was arson/terrorism.

How does a steel building burn that much even with flammables inside. Could be defective code or product. Most US construction demands enough fire proofing in the walls and floors to allow time for escape which means those same standards should've prevented the massive spread of this fire. At least that's what one would assume but we all know what happens when we assume.

Also did the fire sprinklers work? Could staff operate a fire extinguisher? OR being it's the new year did some home fireworks run amok or cover the sound of a terrorist bomb?

Early but plenty of questions. Hopefully no fatalities.
 

Sadly I read about the construction of that building. It's like when the Twin Towers were built. Someone conveniently changed any number of fire codes to allow such huge structures to be built. Just briefly consider the highest American made fire equipment can go up to ten floors or about a hundred feet. They can drop water from the air but that takes coordination and is basically hit or miss. Then bear in mind the stair cases don't go all the way to the top. If the elevators break down and you're on a floor without steps...well sucks to be you.
 
Fire and fireworks. I watched the split screen with the burning hotel on one side and the fireworks show on the other.
I must confess, I watched the show side throughout and enjoyed it very much without guilt. If there had been deaths, I may have felt differently. A 60 story hotel with a fire originating on the 20th floor evacuated with 14 minor injuries except for one heart attack. Pretty impressive. Lets give credit where it is due. It does seem that there may be a back story to this. That was a pretty intense fire. I have watched a few documentaries on the building of these incredibly tall buildings in China and Japan as well as Dubai. I question the wisdom of it. You would never get me up there to live, but the engineering, logistics, technical proficiency and sheer human guts involved are off the charts. When it comes to building, the Asians and Muslims are running rings around us. They pump huge amounts of money and resources into infrastructure. We ride over crumbling roads and bridges waving a finger out the window and shouting "We're #!!". We are #1 in weaponry though. There may be a dark side to how these buildings came to be built. The Gothic Cathedrals were certainly built on the backs of generations of virtual slave labor. Does not stop me from appreciating the accomplishment or the incredible beauty of the result.
 
This reminds me of a similar, but very much smaller fire, in an apartment building near where I live.
The fire ran up the outside of the building and blame was laid on the cladding imported from China that fails fire safety standards.

It is indeed a feat to have a fire of that scale in a high rise building that didn't result in loss of life.
 
Structurally ie will it fall down I think these buildings won't. But fire safety no because I don't think the UAE or many other countries put emphasis on secondary priorities like what would happen with a fire. I still wonder if they have the 90 minute fire walls, fire proof doors, plug holes and gaps between rooms especially in a drop ceiling. Many places in the US it's a fine if a unused hole is not plugged up in a wall-is it like that else where?

And other issues associated with building fires. What is the electrical code, exposed wires? Were the sprinklers tested on a regular basis? Are there alarms? Fire extinguishers available?

Some are suggesting it could've been flammable materials used on walls but it still comes down to stopping 'a' fire from spreading along with banning storage or use of extreme flammables.

Fews things to note. The building owner wants to restore the building and materials used on the walls 'may' have been an issue.

http://www.reuters.com/article/emirates-dubai-fire-idUSKBN0UG0H720160102
 

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