A fire broke out in a tower near Dubai Marina on Wednesday afternoon, in what is the latest in a string of blazes to hit the UAE.

Abu Nasier, Head of Media Co-ordination at the Civil Defence, said the fire started at 2.12pm on Wednesday on the 30th floor of Al Salam Tecom Tower, a 47-storey building still under construction and located along Sheikh Zayed Road, behind the BBC World Building in Dubai Media City.

Nasier could not provide information as to the actual cause of the incident, pending an official investigation. “Our team is still in the process of putting out the blaze,” he said shortly after the fire broke out.  The blaze was still not under control by 6.45pm, Nasier told Emirates Business later in the day.

A spokesperson for Tecom said that no casualties have been reported.

The Al Salam building is 195 metres tall.  Construction of the mixed-use tower was due to be completed this year.

Emirates Business reporters at the scene saw smoke billowing from the building but no flames. The area was cordoned off and emergency vehicles and helicopters were present.

Eyewitnesses reported that construction workers thought to have been evacuated from the building were crowding the streets below.

The news comes after a string of incidents in the UAE that raise serious concerns about fire safety in the country.

Earlier this week, a blaze gutted six buildings near Mina Zayed (Port Zayed) in Abu Dhabi.  And on March 26 a massive fire in Dubai’s Al Quoz district ravaged 80 warehouses, killing three people.

-- Did you witness the Media City fire? If so, share your account and photos with Emirates Business by emailing i24-7@business24-7.ae

IN PICTURES: DMC Fire