Dubai skyscraper fire: Blaze rips through Torch residential building in marina district

Courtesy of @RaMiAlGaDi via Twitter

A fire has ripped through the Torch in Dubai - one of the tallest residential buildings in the world.

The skyscraper, which is 336.1m (1,105ft) tall, is in the marina district of the city. The fire is believed to have started on the 50th floor and is spreading quickly, in part due to high-winds.

One witness said it looked like "the Titanic going down", Gulfnews.com reports.

Terrified residents were forced to flee and emergency crews rushed to the scene to tackle the blaze which burned across several floors of the enormous structure.

There were no reported injuries, officials told NBC News, but it was unclear whether all the residents had been accounted for.

Thousands of people were evacuated from the tower and dozens suffered smoke inhalation injuries, according to Gulf News.

One resident told the paper that the alarm had stirred many people from their sleep after it went off at 2.05am.

Courtesy of @RaMiAlGaDi / via Twitter

"There have been three fire alarms every week recently and all were false," they said. "This time I heard it and said it must be false. But then I smelt smoke. I took my wallet and ran down along with my wife. We live on the 59th floor. "

Eyewitnesses told local media that the fire is believed to have started near the 50th floor of the building which opened four years ago.

Social media footage taken by eyewitnesses at the scene showed what looked like molten glass and pieces of masonry falling down.