skyscraper on fire in dubai

[Red Squirrel]

Pretty crazy. Comes to show how modern fire suppression systems and fire retardant building practices like firewalls are very important. I doubt any of that stuff is in use in a place like Dubai. Dubai looks nice and modern, but it's basically just Syria with lots of makeup.

Though that brings an interesting thought, if the fire really is mostly external like they're saying, even modern buildings probably don't have much suppression for an outside fire, any fire sprinkler pipes would freeze up, even in a dry system there will be some residual water from testing etc. So it would not make sense to have sprinklers outside.

Then again there should not be that much flammable material on the outside of a building. Those huge flames obviously have a significant amount of flammable material to fuel them. I'm almost wondering if there are gas lines running along the outside and they sprung a leak or something.

There is probably more to this fire than is being released though.

Nah, all they need to do is to fly another jetliner into it.

That's not going to work, jet fuel can't melt steel beams.

 

[BUTCH1]

Lol, sorry about that.

WTF, how could you NOT know the coolest dude in the history of dudedome has been dead for over 30 years...HOW??????.

 

[MongGrel]

WTF, how could you NOT know the coolest dude in the history of dudedome has been dead for over 30 years...HOW??????.

He probably wasn't even born until after he had died I imagine.

 

[feralkid]

So, who else thinks that ISIS has something to do with this?

Everyone as paranoid as you, that's who.

 

[BUTCH1]

He probably wasn't even born until after he had died I imagine.

Geez, yea, your probably right. A generation raised on "Transformers" and "Spider-man", damm it's sad.

 

[JimKiler]

I doubt most people even know of that movie.
CLASSIC!

Everyone knows that great movie...it had Donald Sutherland as the clumsy waiter.

 

[Darwin333]

Seemed to go up pretty fast.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-35207451

I dunno, how do you get all of the people out of a building like that in 10 minutes with zero casualties?

 

[Phoenix86]

Seemed to go up pretty fast.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-35207451

Surrounded by fireworks or shitty inflammable materials.

 

[SKORPI0]

Here's one from April 2012.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tzA3RzJ6wyM

 

[Markbnj]

Literally a towering inferno. I'm shocked how fast the fire spread up from the base. There had to be some design deficiencies or insufficient standards involved, at least.

 

[DrPizza]

I dunno. I just skimmed through the video on periscope - it definitely looks like it was mostly contained to the exterior. On the interior, floors are generally concrete on structures like that - fire's not going to go through that fast. If you watch the periscope video, you can see that the location of the most intense flames slowly moves upward. If the interior were on fire, you'd probably see it spreading laterally across the lower floors as it burned longer - this doesn't appear to be the case. News reporting 14 minor injuries, plus a heart attack.

 

[zinfamous]

He probably wasn't even born until after he had died I imagine.

Steve McQueen died the year I was born. By the laws of the Buddha, I am the new sanctified McQueen after inheriting his earthbound soul into my flesh.

Lick my balls, everybody.


I mean, happy new year!

 

[Red Squirrel]

I dunno. I just skimmed through the video on periscope - it definitely looks like it was mostly contained to the exterior. On the interior, floors are generally concrete on structures like that - fire's not going to go through that fast. If you watch the periscope video, you can see that the location of the most intense flames slowly moves upward. If the interior were on fire, you'd probably see it spreading laterally across the lower floors as it burned longer - this doesn't appear to be the case. News reporting 14 minor injuries, plus a heart attack.

Yeah my fear would be windows blowing out mostly, then fire might start to catch inside too. But structurally, it will probably be fine. Assuming it's not some kind of fuel that's burning, the steel beams probably wont reach any temperatures that will weaken them. That is what caused the WTC to give out, jet fuel can't melt steel beams, but it can still weaken them.

 

[11thHour]

like how do they not have a sprinkler system?

They've got an amazing sprinkler system...look how green their plaza is!

 

[Zorba]

I am guessing this building had some type of flammable EIFS system installed on the exterior.

Surrounded by fireworks or shitty inflammable materials.

That is the problem, their engineers thought that inflammable meant "not flammable."

 

[11thHour]

That's what happens when you put christmas tree lights on one of the world's tallest hotels in a muslim country.

 

[SsupernovaE]

They use aluminum in a lot of their skyscrapers. Probably has something to do with it.

 

[MongGrel]

They use aluminum in a lot of their skyscrapers. Probably has something to do with it.

Aluminum isn't really that conducive to a fire as far as i know, other than it has a low melting point compared to some metals.

If someone ever built a magnesium skyscraper things would really get crazy, but is one of the reasons that would never happen.

Besides the cost to begin with of course.

Talk about a fire.

 

[SsupernovaE]

Aluminum is extremely combustible under the right circumstances.

 

[Triumph]

Aluminum is extremely combustible under the right circumstances.

Yes. In powder form, usually from grinding. How would that apply here?

 

[Fanatical Meat]

I've made a huge fire with some wood and tons of empty beer cans

 

[MongGrel]

Yes. In powder form, usually from grinding. How would that apply here?

Not at all really.

Or we'd have jet airliners exploding multiple times daily on their own.

 

[Markbnj]

I dunno. I just skimmed through the video on periscope - it definitely looks like it was mostly contained to the exterior. On the interior, floors are generally concrete on structures like that - fire's not going to go through that fast. If you watch the periscope video, you can see that the location of the most intense flames slowly moves upward. If the interior were on fire, you'd probably see it spreading laterally across the lower floors as it burned longer - this doesn't appear to be the case. News reporting 14 minor injuries, plus a heart attack.

But what is on the exterior of the average skyscraper than burns so readily?

 

[Mark R]

But what is on the exterior of the average skyscraper than burns so readily?

Cladding. This is typically a non-structural decorative, insulated material. It goes on top of the concrete structure of the building. Various materials are used, plastics, aluminium, stone, various hybrid structures (e.g. brick tiles over polyurethane foam), etc.

There have been a number of major high-rise fires around the world which have been traced to cheap cladding material which did not meet code for fire resistance.

 

[Stopsignhank]

It turns out my wife's boss wast at the hotel 2 hours before if caught on fire. Glad he was not there because he has 2 boys under 10. It would not have been good if he got caught up in the evacuation.