Transcripts For CNNW CNN Newsroom With Brooke Baldwin 20151231

Of this 63story building. No word yet on deaths or injuries or even a cause what started this blaze. What we can tell you is this is happening near the tallest building in the world. Many people recall seeing it in a spectacular new years eve display where one hour away from midnight and what was planned to be a spectacular Fireworks Show ther there. New years eve revelers running from the burning highrise building. A witness telling us that she could feel the heat on her back as she ran. Someone who has an incredible advantaVantage Point. You can see right there just across the waterway. So from your Vantage Point we see the flames, the smoke you have been able to see. What point did you realize there was trouble browing right here . It came up all of a sudden. It started lower than the 20th floor. The flames went up and quickly in the center of the build. Ing. It was over the 50th floor. It din mental anguished a bit but then there was a secondary from the uppers. Many of those units are fully engulfed. I can see from the Vantage Point where youre standing on the balcony. Is is that the lake that separates your unit from the address hotel . You can see its just to my right. It is the Retail Development thats there and then the palace hotel. And the waterway separating from my apartment building. Tell me about what you know about the address hotel. Its a 5 star luxury hotel. We understand from eyewitnesss there may be. Dignitaries staying there, even royalty. Tell me about the attraction of that hotel. Theed a jay saent to the mal. Identi ive been there for many events. Its a great destination. Many dignitaries and royalty do stay there. So its probably it was i knew what potentially could happen. A couple years ago we had a fire in a similar hotel and i saw the same thing happening here. And so we know upwards of a Million People would be there in dubai for an incredible fireworks display on new years eve. Are people generally out in the streets . Or are people spend iing their time in these highrises to get particular Vantage Point of the fireworks . A lot of people are in residents, but as you look down, theres burge park. Its probably 100,000 plus people down there right now waiting for the fireworks to go off in the next hour. There hasnt been an announcement whether that will continue or not based on the situation. Cnn talked to an eyewitness earlier at the address who was at a restaurant on the ground level and she said that the staff was amazing and seemed to really know what to do in case of this fire. Talk to me about the concern. Youre an american living there in dew by. Your concern or the concern of others about the highrises there and safety and e evacuations, what kind of drillings happen on a regular basis even. So in my building particul particularly, they do run drills on a regular basis. The unit is fully sprinklered. My unit is five years old. Its masonry structure. I picked that because of this and knowing the events that occurred a few years ago in the Marina District with the fire and recently they had the torch, which was one of the tallest residential towers also had a fire similar to this. So again, it is a chance you take when you live in a highrise building. With regards to residents and that building there is also run by because they have extensive training. And bruce, give. Me an idea. Did you hear anything unusual before you saw the flames . What did you experience before you witnessed the flames out of control as they are rugt now. I was out on the balcony watching. I had a photo of the building i took just before the fire. And its just kind of a sense of euphoria. The music was playing. And then all of a sudden you saw the flames and everyone was run ing to kind of get a better Vantage Point. And right now its kind of a sense of style. In terms of Fire Fighting efforts, have you seen any air support or anything like that around the address hotel . Im not seeing theres a few helicopters flying over. It could be news crews. Ive heard the fire trucks. They were well prepared. I know that from when i arrived here earlier today seeing the fire trucks setting up just for the events. So i know they had quite a bit of equipment available. Bruce, could you standby. We want to continue to look at the image. You have an extremely good Vantage Point. I want to bring in one of my spopts on the ground there in dubai. Becky wharks are you seeing, what are you hearing . Certainly, it has been an enormous fire. There are four separate teams of firefighters working to put out this fire according to dubais media. And as we understand it, there are no casualties at this point. Now the fire at the address hotel in dubai broke out on the 20th floor from the outside of the building as far as we understand it. We also understand that the fireworks which are due to start in about 50 minutes time as far as the authorities have been saying will now go ahead. Clearly, the tallest building in the world is where youll see those fireworks. Youll see them in various other parts of dubai. As things stand, the fire it appears broke out on the 20th floor. There are four Fire Fighting teams working to put the fire out. And at this stage, thankfully, there are no casualties as far as authorities are concerned. And thats whats so extraordinary here. This fire is breathtaking. It is frightening. This is a multipurpose address. The address hotel is not just a hotel but its a residence and theres a mall. Explain what you know about this particular building. Looks like we lost becky there. I wonder if bruce is still with us. Hes providing this incredible image from this balcony. If you can join me again. What do you know about the use of this multipurpose building that its a mall, its residence and also a hotel. So theres retail on the ground level. A couple restaurants. Theres restaurants within the establishment and theres Service Apartments. So its a partial hotel, partial Service Apartments. On the top theres a restaurant on the 63rd floor. Adjacent o to it, but theres a space between it. Theres residence apartments. And also is the palace hotel, which is a little further away. There are some secondary fires that have occurred. Hold on for a moment. Bruce is an american who happens to live there in dubai and is in his apartment call balcony across the lake from the address hotel where its fully engulfed in flames. A 63story building, hotel, residence and also restaurants and shopping. With us also is josh gatlin. E we understand you were just 200 feet away from this building when this fire started, which is across the way from the lake from the hotel where the spectacular fireworks are to take place in just about 49 minutes from now. So josh, tell me about your experience. As a resident here, my wife and i drove up with another friend of ours. Its the biggest and greatest Fireworks Show on earth. You hear of the millions of ppeople that are here and the pain that it is to get to and from dubai and we got here and we wanted to see it and its just words cant describe the feeling. At first i felt it on my back. As soon as you feel the heat, you see iphones start coming out. And it didnt take long. Some people sat and watched and some people started videoing it. I grabbed my crew and we left. It went from it was certainly a significant fire by the time i saw it, but it went from a significant fire to that entire building is in flames and we need to get a little bit further away from it. Thats whats so remarkable. Were hearing from eyewitness who is say within seconds the flames just traveled up that building. So that you were on the street, am i right . You were on the street on a sidewalk when you felt the heat of those flames . Did you hear anything at about the same time that you were feeling that heat . No, because this is such a big deal, there are some public viewings on the street. They closed off all the main the streets around the surrounding areas. We had reservations at a restaurant months in advance. We were sut iing out on a terra and thats basically it. In a building attached to the address. So we had to luckily, we were one floor up from ground level. E we could get out. We did kind of walk out of our garage. Luckily theres no traffic. They shut down traffic at 6 00 p. M. Theres just so many people, so many barriers. Its a logistical nightmare that it actually because they had shut everything down, it actually appeared to me to make it easier to get out. There wasnt just a mad dash. It wasnt a stampede. Because of the logistical preparations, it appeared to aid in the evacuation. I never felt like im going to get run over. Thats incredible because youre a very calm as you tell the story. Were 45 minutes away from what would be that huge fireworks display at the hotel just across the waterway from this fire. We hear from officials that the fireworks display is still scheduled to go on. While this fire is still underway and you say people are very calm, there didnt appear to be running, i gather from you or any real panic. Are you still making your way to the hotel to see the fireworks from the same location you had planned prior to this fire . Negative. Im quite certain i would not be allowed back to where i was. Im now a block and a half away. Its the tallest bulding in the world. You pretty much have to be 50 kilometers away from it before you cant e see it. Whatever there is to e see, i cant get far enough away to not be able to see. We will not be going back where we were. I would imagine that has been completely closed off. There was debris. It would be right under a debris field. So i cant imagine they are allowing anyone to go where i was. So josh, youre very calm. Youre very matter of fact about a all this, but at the same time are you concerned, fearful, any. Trepidation about being there right now . As a resident, i can say it doesnt matter where you are in the world. Your mind goes in 12 Different Directions when you see Something Like that. Im not going to speculate on that. I didnt hear anything. I saw a fire. I saw a really big fire. And for me to speculate on anything other than that would be irresponsible. I can tell you on the street, thats my main concern. I could be on the streets. You start looking around and trying to figure out where is my exit, wheres the trouble, wheres my exit and start looking for things between you and the exit that could cause you harm. There didnt appear to be any of that. Emergency personnel and vehicles moving in not recklessly but obviously quickly. But for the most part, it worked. Getting away worked. Is it didnt work for some. Art thats speculation on my part, but thats a big fire. Im having a hard time wrapping my brain and my heart around that part of it. This is a huge, very significant fire. Were all praying that everyone is okay. So far, there are no reports of injuries or deaths. Looking at this fire, that is extraordinary to hear. Were you able because you were in the proximity of that building earlier, were you able to see ambulances or anyone being rescued or the appearances of an organized evacuation . Were you able to witness that . No, and i would say that just based on where i was and based on where the Evacuation Route for the address, just based op how it is situated, i would think the evacuation would be in a different direction than where i went. Im certain lly surrounded by hundreds of thousands of people right now that fled. I talked to a gentleman who asked if i was at the address. He said he spoke with someone that was at the address. So who know where is they went. Its a big area. God help those who that are still trying to get out. Youre doing a great job, josh. Stick with us. I want to bring in bruce because its his Vantage Point there on the left of your screen were seeing by way of his skype. Youre on your balcony there. Are you seeing anything different from your Vantage Point in the last six minutes or so i have been talking to josh . Yes, you can actually see the water from the fire trucks, as you can see to the right side of the building, which is closer to the boulevard. But nothing over towards the dubai mall side, which is to the left. So as you can see, its still fairly engulfed. It has moved from the balconys interior to the individual apartments. I dont know where the split is between the hotel and the apartment side, but its still fairly engulfed at this. Point in time. So bruce r you saying there are two towers there. No, its split in elevations. I believe the hotel is on the lower half and the residents are in the upper half. You did a great job of shifting your Vantage Point of your camera there for your skype where we were able to see people gathering there at the foot of the burge. Can you show us that again and give us an idea of the perspective were talking about how thousands of people, upwards of a Million People there . This is what they call burge park. This is really the Vantage Point for the fire works. Youre as close as you can. Its a little dark now. They u had it lit up earlier. But again, its the closest point. They usually stop after 100,000 people, im estimating, that are down there. Its quite packed similar to what youd find in times square. Usually its a pretty joyous occasion. Tonight, its not. Right, mixed feelings now if undeed the authorities are telling us that the fireworks display is scheduled to take place. But i imagine the feelings are mixed as you have this tower behind you still engulfed. Then just across the waterway, you would have a celebratory tone with these incredible fireworks display. Do you think at the last minute they might change their mind about that . You know, i have mixed feelings on whether they should have the fireworks tonight. Again, its one of those events that is seen worldwide every year. With this event going on behind, its sad. There was a loud explosion right there. That was probably one of the restaurants. So those buildings are serviced by natural gas. There could be an issue there. Whats your understanding . You said you have preekt froed the address. Are there several restaurants throughout that building say one on the rooftop or midway . I heard one of the patrons who was at a restaurant on the ground level earlier describe what she thought the fire to begin on the 20th floor. The restaurants are probably theres a ground floor level that would be the lobby and maybe a couple floors down all the way to the where the fountains would be. And after that, theres all hotels and residents until you get to the top. Then theres one restaurant called mios on the 63rd floor. Between that, those are all just apartments and Service Apartments and hotel rooms. So the restaurants are all at the lower level. Probably where you saw the most recent explosion. Youre doing a great job of painting a picture for us for those of us who have not been there and know it intimately. Stick with us. We want to continue to look at your great Vantage Point there of this horrible fire engulfed at the address hotel, which is also a residence and mall and restaurants, as you just heard bruce say. With us now also is soon hong. Youre at a hotel in dubai . How close to the address are you . Yes, im actually at another hotel. When i was setting up on i u definitely heard something. When i looked up, the entire building was up in flames. It just happened within a few seconds. And i just have no clue as to what had happened and the building was just up in flames in a very short period of time. And again, your Vantage Point, you said you were across the street . Im opposite the dubai mall. I would see the entire building from the bottom to the top. So when it happened, it happened really quickly. The moment i looked up at my n window, the entire building was already up in flames. Oh, my goodness. We have seen various Vantage Points debris falling. It had been reported earlier from authorities it appeared that maybe the fire started on the exterior of the build iing. What else have you seen that has made you take notice about this fire and the way in which its been moving very rapidly . It it is the case that the flames have fully engulfed are the interior of that building. Have you frequented the address hotel before . No, i have never been, but i walked past it. A lot of people go there. Everyone is at that area. My goodness, soon hong, thank you so much. Thank you for your images that you also provided on the righthand side of the screen giving us aage point. Now on the left side of the screen, the live images of that building. 63 stories tall fully engulfed in flames. Also with us is john, i understand youre at a party just about four mile was . What are you able to see . Z. 10,000 people here. Its a sell out to see an International Dj perform. One of the bug problems is the unique points. All the fireworks in all their glory and its probably the next big event outside of Downtown Dubai. Great views, however, also you can see the flames come from the building next door. You can see the flames engulfing the side of the address. The smoke just filling the skyline here in dubai. And then setting up some of the fireworks that are planned for midnight here. The address was to be debris and sparks and bits of fire come in from the building. Well be honest now. Earlier on, i would say until about ten minutes ago, it was lit up with screens. They have been turned off. The fireworks will go ahead as planned. With all the chaos here, security did a very good job in reassuring that the party is okay, everybody is safe and the entire community will carry out as planned. Just to underscore what you said. Officials are indeed saying to us that the light show, the fireworks display is still scheduled to happen. Now 31 minutes from now. The worlds tallest bulding. And we also understand from officials that 14 reported injuries are being declared by dubai officials. That fire, however, still fully engulfing the address hotel and residence and restaurants there. While you were talking and describing the party that youre attending miles away and that you have this great Vantage Point and thats why many people are tlrks we were also looking at images of people who were being evacuate d. It looked in a very fairly calm manner considering the volume of people who appear to be right there. Were looking at the images now at the lobby level. Clearly you can see theres some confusion. Thats to be expected. But it also looks orderly there. Youre not hearing any screaming. Youre not looking at people who appear to be panicked. But instead. Following the instructions there. So john, while you and many others presumably thousands of others are there at that location at the amazing race course to witness the fireworks, do you feel like there are mixed feelings about whether the fireworks display should still take place with the backdrop of the address in flames . Yeah, i will be very honest. When we can see the flames clearly from here. I have never seen the skyline in such glory as you have from here. I think what youre seeing at the moment is just repercussions of a planned fireworks display. And just had a domino effect on the building at the address. We have had confirmed reports that the government is sending a water taxi to the address building itself to try to help aid in getting that fire out. We have also been told that the whole area has been e evacuated. Trying to join in the festivities here. We are completely sold out here tonight. Its a real shame for people who have come to Downtown Dubai to see the fireworks. They have been e evacuated to safer areas. Its a lot of people. Estimated 1 Million People come to Downtown Dubai to see the fireworks spectacular. Its just good to hear they are safe. What i can see at the moment im looking directly at the stage. I can see while the fire was happening it was lit by lights and you can see it was prominent in the skyline. I dont know why u but those lights have gone out. Those are lights at the address are still on. The flights are still on even though smoke is barrelling from that building and causing a real haze and. Were looking at the left of the screen the live picture thanks to our friend bruce on his balcony. Hes showing us these live pictures. You can see the column of lights to the right of the flames at the address hotel. And now were just 27 minutes away now from the scheduled fireworks display that would take place just across the waterway from the address at the worlds tallest building. I wonder if youre able to hear me it was very windy when you and i were speaking rlier. Were seeing the billowing smoke. And we saw embers that seemed to be traveling. So whats your feeling about wundy conditions and whether in in way that would impact whether it be the fireworks display or the Fire Fighting efforts there. I can tell you from the fireworks display i have seen it windy and other this will be my third new years eve and the winds arent as much of an issue. But from a Fire Fighting standpoint, at least the fire was it will be the display they do every year at new years. So are you saying thats typically what happens . It goes dark before the fireworks display or its usually lit. To that point, normally they will have the burj lit up with videos and et cetera all the way up until the fireworks until the countdown. Right now they have shut all the lights off on the exterior. Theres no displays. Bruce, were going to continue to take advantage of your beautiful Vantage Point from your balcony there of the skyline. Sadly, were e seeing the address hotel in flames. I want to bring in ta feek raheen, a witness to the fire. Can you tell me where you were and to what extent were you a a witness . Looks like we lost tafeek. Well try u to reestablish our bruce, i want to bring you back. Were looking still at this building that is fully engulfed. It seems like its been at least an hour and a half or even two now of this fire burning. About two hours now. We understand from others that we have talked to talking about the Fire Fighting efforts. We heard our own Becky Anderson say there were about four fire trucks there. Are you seeing anything that might support reenforcements . You saud they were probably news hospital rs. Are you seeing any air help . No, im not seeing any backup air help at this point in time. I did see the water from the fire trucks. Its not very accessible. I believe thats why probably they havent been able to get equipment to the area. There are a Million People there to see. Some have come to see the fireworks display. Has it been gridlock in the streets and making it difficult for fire help to get there . They typically shut the avenues down anywhere between 4 00 and 6 00. So it would have easy for the fire trucks to get in. Many of the trucks were already here as a precaution. So i dont think it would have been a gridlock issue other than people. Usually people move aside fairly quickly when a truck is coming down the street with lights on. Bruce, thank you so much. Were going to continue to look at your Vantage Point and bring in dianna loesh. I understand, do you live across the street from the address hotel . Were trying to reestablish that connection. Becky anderson, who is based in that region, what are you hearing . We do understand dubai officials are saying 14 reported injuries. Thats right. 14 people they say have sustained minor injuries in this fire that broke out at the address hotel on the 20th floor in downtown. Very close to the burj khalifa and where the fireworks are due to take place in dubai in about 20 minutes time. We believe 14 people sustaining minor injuries. One described as having a medium injury and one person who appears to have suffered a heart attack as a result of the overcrowding and the engulf iin of the smoke at the time. I have to say we have been speaking to authorities here. They have now got 90 of that fire under control. As i pointed o out a half hour ago, there are some four or five fire teams working this fire, which has been ongoing now for about two hours time. 9 35 local time was when the fire was first alerted. I was at a holt not far away. I heard people at the table beside me talking about it. And very quickly, this fire looked particularly bad. As i u said now, authorities telling us 90 of this fire at least now under control within the bulding. 14 people sustaining minor injuries, one slightly worse and one heart attack. As you have been pointing out, the firework display is still due to go ahead in about 20 minutes time. You were asking the eyewitness a moment ago about the crowding in dubai. I was actually very surprised. We are always warned about coming down into dubai and just how bad the traffic will be around an enormous event for the uae. Aside from times square, zsydne and london, this is one of the biggest firework displays in the world. In fact, it was the biggest a couple years ago. So an awful lot of people who will be here o out to celebrate this. But the roads were very, very clear. Its been very well organized this year in dubai. It was easy to get through. There will be thousands of people around the burj khalifa as there will be thousands of people in the maiden course and the burj tonight. But these fireworks will go ahead. Clearly a more somber atmosphere this evening as a result of what has happened. But Authorities Say they do now have this under control. So the reporting is extraordinary that officials feel very confident of 90 contained. Youre reminding us for those just now joining us the address hotel is on fire in Downtown Dubai. And this is just across the lake from the burj khalifa, which is that extraordinary building where everyone remembers seeing the fireworks display from the sides of the building. You can recall this over years time. That was to happen again. Now were really at 18 minutes and counting. Officials are saying that this show is still going to take place. Its a shopping mall, theres restaurants, it is engulfed in flames. Extraordinary to hear Officials Say right now 14 reported injuries and that the evacuations have been very well orchestrated. Yeah, i think those eyewitnesss are spot on. This has been a terrible event. The aftermath very well organized. 14 minor injuries, one described as medium. And one suffering a heart attack as a result of this fire, which we believe broke out in one of the rooms on the 20th floor of this hotel. You point out this is a 5 star hotel, but its mixed complex. This is a hotel and residential compound. Its 63 stories. And according to one source at the airport that we spoke to earlier on this was a hotel that was a big event. It was a beautiful day. 29 degrees today in the uae. This is a place people come to enjoy themselves to get a suntan, play golf and get to e see these pyre fireworks. The show will go. On. With the fire now 90 under control. Despite what the. Pictures may be reflecting. Its whats going on within the body of the hotel. The show at this stage will go on. Thank you so much. Were going to check back with you. Lets bring in dianna loesh. She is at a building just across the way from that burning address hotel. Thanks to bruce providing this skype shot to the left. Now im actually going to go to debbi instead. So debbi, tell me what youre seeing. I understand you have been living in dubai for three years now. At the moment im inside the burj khalifa complex where a thousand people or so waiting the massive fireworks display at the moment. And as i see now the fire not as big. As before. But still the fire is on that dubai. G at the address downtown i can see clearly the heavy, thick smoke coming out from the building. And now people what i see right beside me started because they are getting ready for the fireworks display i read that the fireworks display is still on schedule. So woolsey because its half an hour from now. But what i see at the moment right now theres another fire starting up on the side of the building heavy smoke coming up at the lower building of the dress. If i can, plain to you more, im standing just in front of the burj khalifa tower where i can see clearly just in front of me. So hold on a moment. Were also looking at a clear Vantage Point from another residents balcony. And bruce, we understand some people heard some explosions or sounded like some booms. When you and i were talking, we saw a boom and that could be a restaurant. Have you heard anything since last we spoke . There was an explosion. It was quite loud. Louder than the one that was earlier. Since that time the fires have erupted. The fires have started to increase in size and height. So its moved over from the center where it originally started and shifting around clock wise now to the side of the building. So this is more towards the dubai mall. I wonder i realize this may not be your expertise but just knowing the geography of the area and the landscape of downtown, a as this continues to burn, i u think most presume that at some point it will collapse or portions of it will collapse. So what is nearby potentially in terms of other kinds of buildings or residences or would it be your feeling they would evacuate a particular perimeter. Almost all of the buildings that i have seen constructed the last three years, and i would assume the same for the address hotel, they are concrete structures. So they are going to hold up fairly well to probably a lot of the intense heat. But adjacent to it is the dubai mall. And then the other side of it would be the you can see the flames are starting to move up pretty quickly along the side of the building. Theorizing almost as quickly as it did when the fire first started. Now its really the exterior balconies that are probably in flames. And moving up pretty quick. And rising. And while were talking, we have reracked some video on the righthand side of the screen. You might end up seeing an explosion or some kind of extra burst of fire, there is it is right there as were talking. So this is about what you saw earlier. And what you have been describing over the last few seconds here. All this happening, were now 11 minutes away from that scheduled fire works display. Which is pretty dark right now. Yeah. And what do you think u that means . Officials are saying the fireworks display is still going to happen now 11 minutes from now that it went dark. Whats the indicator . Whats your gut. Say about that . I dont know. If Officials Say its going to go off, they are pretty good about that. They are not going to dismiss it. With the events behind me, it doesnt seem to be what would happen. And its very windy. Youre on your balcony. How many stories up are you . Seven. Okay, you have seen fireworks displays there before. For people just joining us, thats taped of the explosion of that building to the right. Youve seen it much windier before and still have the fireworks display. This is different because you have the address hotel thats on fire. You dont believe weather would change the dynamics here. Theres another explosion that just took place. All right, another explosion. Of that building. Let me bring in dianna. Bruce, stick with me. Youre really bringing us there. We really appreciate it. Dianna also heard explosions earlier. Whats your Vantage Point. Dr describe where you are and what you have seen along the way. Ive been. Watching the fire since it started. We just second explogs. Whats happening is the massive explosion was a balcony falling. And as bruce described, the fire is clock wise but now its going into the dubai mall. The Vantage Point is i live right across the street in a Small Business district and also residential. The fire seems more contained, but were hearing large explosions as it burns into the courtyard and into the mall as well. There are massive explosions. We could hear it and see it from two different vant age points. Just within the past 30 minutes this may be explosion number four. Were 8 minute was from an extraordinary fireworks display. Amazingly, were told from officials that they have reports of 14 injuries. They appear to be minor injur s injuries. We saw video of evacuations and a very calm matter. It seems as though these Tall Buildings have to have a number of drills on a regular basis. It seems as though when things like this happen and this is a very unique set of circumstances, it seems as though the fact that people have been very calm has assisted in a great way. Yeah, i would agree to that. I went on the street earlier around 6 00 p. M. Just to check out what was happening. The government here is very fluid and very good about having everything in order. They have been setting up for these fireworks for about two weeks. Theres a lot of places you can go for first aid for any kind of assistance. So i think in this way, people have been able to be ushered out very easily. Everyone is complying and its quite tragic. Thats the part of the neighborhood that people are very respectful and everything is flowing as it should be in terms of triaging massive amounts of people out of the downtown area. I just want to remind people where we are here. Were just over five minutes away from what is scheduled to be a pretty sizable fireworks display across the waterway at the burj khalifa hotel. Its more than 1. 6 tons of fireworks expected to be carry ed out according to officials. All the while across the waterway here at the address hotel and residence it is on fire. In the course of the last 20 minutes, we have heard it. We have seen it. Im using that term closely. It may be combustion. It could be o our guest was thinking perhaps from the kitchens and restaurants at the hotel. We know there have been bursts of flames right there at that tower, which is 63 stories tall. It is fully engulf ed and watching it live. Youre seeing a few images. Just fife minutes from now, that fireworks display is expected to take place. Tell us what youre seeing, hearing, experiencing. So my vant age point is the hotel is in front of me. To the right of me waiting in about four minutes for the largest fireworks display. The irony is the smoke bill e lowing from the hotel, flames that are visible. Im not quite sure that people know whats going on. I think they are waiting for a fireworks display that is going to happen. What a contrast in these images were seeing. We see this beautiful building. They are doing an extraordinary view of explaining what hes seeing from his zecht floor apartment balcony. You see the flames there the address hotel. And you are describing the people are rather confused. They are not sure what they are weight for if its beginning to happen. Im looking straight up the hotel and three quarters of the way there are visible flames. And smoke billowing and to the left of me as i is a said is from what officials told me is a Million People waiting for this fireworks display on to the worlds tallest tower. I dont think they know whats going on. Theres a lot of police activity. A lot of security on the ground. This is normally quite a a secure area. If youre just joining us, ive got cnn producer with us who is there in dubai. And providing this incredible skype Vantage Point. To the left of your screen of the address hotel in Downtown Dubai fully engulfed in flames. While on the right side, youre seeing anticipation of the million or so people who have turned out in Downtown Dubai to look at the worlds tallest building on the right side of your screen. Its centered by that incredible clock. On the side of that building from top to bottom will be fireworks. Its one of the most extraordinary celebration displays in the world. Officials have said even while this fire is underway at the address hotel in Downtown Dubai, the show will still go on. And you heard our producer describe they are kind of stoic not quite sure what to expect now two minutes and counting. So are people mostly quiet . Are they talking . From the Vantage Point were at, flames are extremely visible. People have now turned to that and are looking at that. They are looking at the visible flames which are now almost a quarter of the way of the building. All eyes are on the flames. And its shocking to see this happening. It is shocking to see. Here we are thousands of miles away and shocking to everyone at home too because this is an active fire. Ama amazingly dubai officials have said that 14 have been injured. Were seeing what appear to be some kind of pulsating light there on the left of the screen. Not quite sure what that means. Becky anderson was describing minor injuries. Now on the righthand side of the screen, youre seeing are People Holding glow sticks . Is that part of a light show underway where upwards of 100,000 people could be converging for this display . Were now 30 seconds away from that countdown, by presidethe w. Were out here. Many people in todays times are doing video from their own phones. Thats kind of what youre probably seeing instead of glow sticks. Its peoples telephones up and getting pictures of the flames that are extremely visible. And literally kim, im going to stop you there. Were just going to watch. Countdown is on. Lets listen and watch. [ cheers ] [ cheers ] [ cheers ] what a contrast. Thats 2016 in dubai. The im fredricka whitfield. Welcome back to our live coverage. On the lefthand side you have a 68story the address hotel that is fully engulfed in flames while just meters away you have this spectacular fireworks display taking place at the worlds tallest building. Becky anderson is there in dubai. Becky, given this is a huge attraction upwards of a Million People converge in Downtown Dubai to enjoy, celebrate a new year this way with this incredible fireworks display thrks fire on the lefthand side of the screen was not going to stop that. Any new information on reported injuries or containment since last time we spoke . Two a half hours ago that fire broke out. The show goes on in dubai. And thankfully, the fire which looked so spectacular in the building, which is just very close by the address hotel which is a 5 star hotel and residential building of 63 stories, 196 rooms and 626 Service Departments, the fire breaking out on the 20th floor about two and a half hours ago. There are between 14 and 16 people who have sustained minor injuries in that fire. One person described as having medium injuries and one person we believe had a heart attack as a result of smoke inhalation or the moment in time and the shock of what happened in that hotel. Now we are told that 90 is now contained within the building. So 90 of the fire contained as far as authorities are concerned there are numerous fire teams obviously now on the spot. A kilometer and a half away from wub of the most spectacular displays anywhere in the world. This display started at midnight and goes on for fine minutes. What youll begin to e see is further firework displays down towards the burj, which is the iconic building on the beach in dubai. Then the fireworks will go all the way along the beach. This is along 25minute display and continues on while, as you say, just really hundreds of meters away there is the address hotel, which was until now at least engulfed in fire. We have had a lot of eyewitnesss telling us that things were very well contained as the operation got underway in order to contain that fire. Clearly, an incredibly fightening experience for all of those involved. Sources telling us that it may have been a curtain in a room on the 20th floor that caught on fair and it was a result of that that the building went up. So starting on the 20th floor. Things at the moment on the left of your screen, a fire continuing to blaze. We are told, as i say, it is beginning to be contained. They say they have contained now 90 of it. While on the righthand side of your screen, as you have rightly pointed out, one of the most spectacular firework displays in the world chrks will go on now for some minutes. So 25 minutes if all in dubai. Fireworks starting at the burj khalifa and making its way around some of the other more remarkable skyscrapers and buildings there in dubai. All the while right there on the lefthand pseuside of your cares the address hotel still engulfed in flames. So commissioner joining us now. I understand you also have worked in dubai and are familiar with dubai. All this taking place when were less than nine hours away from a huge display of fireworks and revelry there in times square. So o to hear Becky Andersons report and to hear that possibly this fire may have started from a curtain in a room on the 20th floor and then that fire traveled very quickly, what does your expertise tell you about how this fire may have ignited and why it would spread so quickly within seconds according to many eyewitnesss. I have to say i probably dont agree with that curtain thing. Why not . The outside of the building spread way too fast. I mean, within minutes it within the maybe 20 floors high and now you have it on the inside of the building and i know theres reports saying that they have it contained 90 , but since they have said that, we have two major explosions and what somebody reported as a balcony falling. My concern looking at it from what we see off the skype views is that if the interior of this building heats up to levels that structural beams cant take, i would be worried about an implosion, just like we had in the world trade center. And thats what happens. It depends on how far the fire gets into the build iing. Were looking at pictures from the outside, but if the fire is inside the building and spreads throughout the inside of the building and were seeing another explosion on tv. Thats what i would be worried about, an implosion. And i guess whats really extraordinary, there are a lot of things that are extraordinary about this it, but that you would have a fire of this magnitude and officials would say the show must go on. Millions of dollars have been invested in this. More than 1. 6 tons of fireworks last year it broke the world record for the largest fireworks display and a Million People are there to enjoy this. So officials didnt want to disappoint. So does this tell you does it speak more to the control that officials had of this fire and their containment and the confidence that they would be a able to prevent this mass you have fire from growing or get. Ing worse that they could carry on with the revelry here to ring in the new year . Thats a decision they have to make based on resources. I would imagine that that was thought out for an hour or two prior to the fireworks display. My concern right now would be the groundwork thats being done around that hotel to ensure that all those vehicles were evacuated out of there. Obviously, the building is evacuated. What kind of prerimeter are you talking about you would feel comfortable knowing this is a 63story building that takes up a pretty good size of a block, what would be a safe prerimeter that would be secured, removing vehicles, et cetera . In new york city, youre talking at least three or four blocks away from that building. You want those vehicles out of there. You dont want any of that stuff to come down on them or the people around it. So based on what were seeing, i hear that 90 stuff, but it just did you want appear to be the case based on the visuals. What defines con feignment then . If you hear 90 , what does that tell you and why does that contrast with what you are believing . Well, usually what you have is something thats controllable. If it was 90 contained, i dont think youd see the photos were seeing unless this is old stuff. What i have seen over the last ten minutes, 15 minutes as they have been saying 90 contained it doesnt appear to be the case. What do you want to see next as we are continuing to look at the. Pictures with the fireworks display. When were able to pull up the continuing burning the address hotel bulding, what kind of reassurance do you want to see . Do you want to see air support . Is this not a city or structure that would best welcome air support . Its funny you say that because in the tag line, they are running a tag line thats basically saying they have called in the National Guard to assist with the hotel. In addition to attacking the flier by air so i dont know if they are helicopters in the area thats going to douse it. I dont know what they are going to do. My big concern would be worrying about the inside of that building. You mentioned that in your expertise, youd want to see a three or four block area enclose ed. If this were in your jurisdiction and you were trying to battle this blaze contain the situation, what would you want to see happen there . You want everybody out of the building just like we did on 9 11 with the world trade center. Everybody and anything you can get away from the building we never diplomated the building to collapse or implode. The problem is with once the sbe interior heats up and the structural beams start to give way, youre talking 63 floors once a few beams go, the building is going to follow. Thats what wed be concerned with. The firefighters have an e enormous team, i would imagine, fighting this blaze, but the firefighters are going to have a hard time. Perhaps in the yerlier stages before you see this kind of engulfment, we heard that the evacuations took place, what would you envision in terms of how do you clear each floor, how do you e evacuate people from 63 stories with an active fire and cant rely on elevators. Using the stairway, how do you suppose they went about this now that were hearing from officials that there are 14 reported injuries . For a a fire like this, if they only come out of this with 14 people injured, i would say they have done extremely well in evacuating the building. They have plans and protocols in place. They do mock drills and fire drills constantly in buildings like this. In dubai those plans are in place. We heard some of the other commentators talking about the thing done in their buildings. Np building is no different. One of the hotels along the water where the display is now, they do those kind of drills as well. So a lot of that goes into effect. The fire personnel, et get in and assist. We are heard there were Sprinkler Systems and those were under way. Clearly the systems are not putting out the fire, so is this an instance where they have no other recourse but to let the bulding burn out . How do you exhaust . From the other side and work the Sprinkler System. Based on what were watching. We cant see how they are exteng wishing flames. If they are even trying to do that. We cant see it from this Vantage Point. But go ahead. So we dont know if the system work ed. We dont know if the system failed. And if the system was working, they have to make sure that the water is getting into that system. Its not cut off anywhere on the ground. They have to make sure the water is get. Ing into that system to have an impact on the inside. Thank you so much. Dont go far. You want to bring you back in. Kim is a cnn producer who is at the hotel. So couple, describe what has been taking place when you have this fireworks display that continues. Its all of 25 minutes, which is quite remarkable there in dubai. The show went on, as you saw. The smoke seems to be billowing back now, which is a good sign. You have a lot of the revelers very controlled. The security and the police have really con tauned this area. A real lock down on the public transport being stopped. That ended up happening and helping the situation here. People are now leaving. I asked a couple people did they not notice the fire to the left of them. Many of them said, yeah, it was a fire and happened two hours ago and have it under control. So they continued watching the fireworks display to the right of them. And no one seemed to be alarmed or concerned about the explosions or felt confident that officials are telling them its contained, they go with that . Yeah, they seem to be confident of it. I tried to get into the backside of the area, which is the entry to the mall. They did close off that perimeter. I dont know if they were being evacuated, but they were not let ing people in. I am on the backside of the hotel itself to the right of me is the tallest building. And the fireworks display, people are leaving calmly, collective. The police seem to have things in order. Theres Traffic Control and it within the off without a hitch. So kim, you heard bernard saying this were he would have three to four block area cordoned off. Are you able to see the perimeter of the area blocked off while this building continues to burn . Im on the backside of it. I have been told by police they said that area has been closed off. The hotel has been evacuated. They are not letting anybody within that area. They did contain the area from around the hotel and. The backside of it. But they did contain that area. Somebody was staying in the hotel. They have all been pushed out of that area. Its been contained. People seem to be moving along quite well. Kim, thank you so much. Its been extraordinary to see the differences here of these screens. The opulence to the right with this extraordinary 25minute fireworks display from the worlds tallest building to the left, which is just about a kilometer away across the lake there the address hotel, thats what its called, for those now just joining us. The address hotel in Downtown Dubai, which was fully boked. Its a 5 star hotel, residence, restaurants, shopping mall, 63 stories tall, fully engulfed in flames. It continue d to burn as the fireworks display got. Under way at the stroke of midnight there. It is 2016 in dubai. Back with us is bruce. Because of you, we were able to watch a good portion of what was taking place from your 7th floor balcony. Right now youre joining us on the phone. What are you seeing and were you kind of shifting your view from the burning building to the left from your balcony. You would then see the fireworks display. The rest of it seems to be under control. At the lower level, theres some fires. But other than that, it seems to be under control. Thats always a good sign. It was kind of like watching the fireworks. What did that feel like to you to be watching the fire from one point of view from your balcony and then just shifting your eyes a few inches and then you were watching this incredible fireworks display. My heart goes out to the people in the hotel and apartments that theres no loss of life. And then the celebration that occurred just less than a kilometer away. So bruce, could you tell earlier you showed us from your balcony that you could look right in. Front of the burj skmoelt see burj park where 100,000 people would converge in order to watch the fireworks display. Could you tell whether or not some people were looking trying to turn their heads looking at one point at the fireworks display and checking out the fire. What were you able to see . Could you see that r clearly . Most of the people are watching the fireworks. They have been watching the fire for over two hours. So i u suspect the sadness because of the fire, people are there for a reason, which was to see the fireworks. Earlier you were showing live pictures. Were showing images from recorded earlier where it looks like the fire was in the beginning stages. Were unable to get the live view, so can you describe what youre seeing . When we hear fushls say 90 contained, from your Vantage Point are you seeing a diminishing of flames . Im seeing diminishing of flames. Flames, you couldnt see along the side of the building on the exterior structure. Its probably a good chance it would have caught fire. Theyll have an assessment after the outcome. That is some of the challenges we have heard. Theres some fire still there. Just as you were talking, we were showing and now were seeing it again live images on the righthand side. We can see exactly what youre talking about. It is still burning, but mostly on the interior. And heavy smoke still on the outside. Ken robinson is also with us. And currently at a local hospital not far from the address hotel. So ken, what are you able to see . What are you experiencing there . We can smell the fire, but wi cant see it from our side. Its a very large hospital. When i saw the fire, i went down to the emergency room to anticipate potential victims coming in. And we remained there for approximately an hour. We watched the prep that was done by the emergency staff and the information officers. They are keeping people informed and speaking with the government fus officials and the government said they were going to continue with the fire display. Some people criticized that. The main reason was to not dump 1 Million People on the highway in the middle of a crisis. They wanted to keep all the population still so they could continue to provide First Responders to the scene and not flood the roads. It was a wise decision. No people came here other than typical walkins. No victims came to this hospital with burn or smoke inhalation injuries from the time i left from the emergency room which was 30 minutes ago. And so the crews there, the staff there went back down to a different alert level than the one they were previously maintaining where they had had gurneys and chairs and people lined up with anticipation of people bringing in injured people. It was very organized and professional. And so ken, given your experience, i have only been through dubai. I havent spent time in Downtown Dubai, but clearly this is something dubai is very proud of. A lot is invested. How do you assess the Decision Making that came behind addressing the fire under way at the 63story building and at the psalm time trying to maintain calm, address the fire, but at the same time carry through with this extraordinary show that attracts hundreds of thousands of people. Well, i think they did a remarkable job because they have very good drills. Because they are such new infrastructure here, all the buildings, they have such good standards and practices and processes, there are drills conducted all the time. There are drills being conducted here in this hospital since i have been here. And they do them at different times of day and night. They have been anticipating potential problems like the rest of our governments in the western world has. So the hospitals know they have to be on their game. The decision that the government was making was one wise one because they had a choice. Cancel and then have people swarm the streets and create a crowd control problem or keep people in place, shrlt it in place where they are where theres no problem, let them have the time on the roads to contain the fire, allow First Responders to move back and forth freely because many of the roads have been closed for hours due to the containment of the preparation for the fire display. So there was only a few routes that would be available and they would have created massive choke points so they made a smart move and made it quickly to maintain control of the population. Remember, this is an incredibly diverse population of people from all over the world who have come to this hub, this great hub in this region to celebrate new years together. You have people from every continent. Ken robinson, thank you. You underscore that the Decision Making has offered a lot of reassurance possibly. Lets find out from tafeek raheen. He just watched the fireworks right there in Downtown Dubai. From what Vantage Point did you see the fireworks . Looks like i lost tafeek. Well try to reestablish a connection there. Becky anderson back with us in dubai. So becky, perhaps you heard some of what ken robinson was say in that the decision to carry on at the same time put all resources in to tackle this fire may have offered some reassurance to people there who are used to drills take iing place, whether be in the hospital or these highrise buildings. Whats your perspective on that . Yeah, i think its a slightly wider story than that. We see the concerns across european capitals as to what may or could occur during these new years celebrations. We were reporting on the higher preparedness of times square this year. I think theres a sense that people are concerned bt get. Ing on with these new years celebrations that everybody is allowed to enjoy them. There was no sense at all that this was any sort of terrorist incident here. It was clearly, as far as authorities are concerned, a fire that broke out in a building very, very close to where tens if not hundreds of thousands of people are gathered for these fireworks celebrations. Fire breaks out in the hotel at about 9 35 p. M. Local time. Thats two and a half hours or so before the fireworks were planned to go off. And fierily quickly, a message from authorities that those fireworks would go ahead whilst they concentrated on maintaining what was going on in the address hotel, which is a 5 star hotel and residential building. 16 people have are sustained minor injuries. One was slightly worse injuries. We are aware that at least one person had a heart attack as a result of the crowded situation and the smoke inhalation when that fire broke out. But as far as we understand, according to sources that we know there, it was a very orderly evacuation of the building. And the show went on. And the show was a relatively long show. 25 minutes, the fireworks start at the burj khalifa, viewers will be well aware of the spectacular that is the boou die fireworks. They move on to an iconic building and down the beach. This is a significant display with upwards of a Million People watching. Youre right to point out that people here, as they are in other parts of the world, organized when it comes to evacuating buildings, understanding what needs to be done. There were four teams on the ground. The building beginning to smolder. Concerns about the integrity of the infrastructure there. Some reports there have been explosions after the fire took out, not that we can substantiate those at present. But now clearly the work of keeping that fire contained. Were told some 90 is now contained. And maintaining the integrity of the building while there are so many people around. As they begin to move away because the fireworks are over at this point. There were a lot of people in dubai at this point. But as i came in to celebrate, it was a very, very orderly evening here in the uae. Becky anderson, thank you so much. Jacqueline, cnn correspondent, also in dubai. So jacqueline, whats your perspective . Fredricka, were right now walki walking. The facility we were at e evacuated everybody there. They were asking everybody to head towards one of the main roads here in front of the dubai mall. There are thousands of people who are just walking. Some of the metro stops, they are having people just walk until they can get to a safer location. Where we were standing was behind the building, behind the hotel. So we werent able to see much of the fire. While we were watching the Fireworks Show, we heard a really loud explosion and you started seeing the side of this building on fire. Everybody who was standing there next to us was surprised. And he was just watching. He department know whether to watch the fireworks or the building that was on fire on the hotel. So he was impressed with what was going on. He was surprised that the authorities decided to have this Fireworks Show. Especially because one of the buildings was on fire so close. He was telling us that he heard the news through one of his family members to let him know because when the building was on fire, he was on the opposite side so he couldnt see anything until he received that call and a few minutes later he started e seeing smoke come canning out of this hotel. He had attempts to see when the fire broke out, we were in the e lower part where all the restaurants were booked. Everybody heard an explosion. We didnt know what was going on because we saw they are get. Ing ready to start the Fireworks Show and everybody was scared because we didnt know what was going on. And my back was toward the building so i couldnt see. I had to peek out to see the building on fire. Flames consuming this hotel. And the authorities started telling everybody to evacuate. The people on the terrace started moving inside and the people inside were scared just because they didnt know what was going on. They kept asking about the structure fire. E we didnt know much more. And people out on the terrace and everybody who made reservations couldnt see the fireworks spectacular. A lot of us were wondering if we were going to get a refund. We were not allowed back out. Everybody was evacuated around the dubai mall. What an incredible account. So now the that fireworks display is over and the building is still smoldering, what kind of traffic are you seeing . Are people having a difficult time getting around . Are they looking stunned. Do they simply look like nothing really extraordinary has happened . Describe what you see in people. Theres a lot of movement, a lot of security. The streets are blocked off. Theres congestion. A lot of the cars that are on win of the main streets here cant move. I have seen the same car and the same place where the last 15 or 15 minutes. Before we got. Here, this stop was going to be closing. You needed to take other stops, other stations in order to get back to your location. So right now i was hearing that they said they vnlt opened. They are make iing another stat. A lot of these stations are far. So were walking. We have been walking for the last 15 minutes and still havent reached the metro station. A lot of these streets are closed. Theres a lot of families, a lot of children, a lot of tourists, a lot of police here. So everybody is wondering if the police are going to reopen that area. Some people try to go. Back into the mall but they told them no and turned them away. So people are walking up and down the street. Its about 12 45 here in dubai so were heading in the direction where we can catch a metro. Something also that was interesting to mention was the way that authorities evacuated everybody. Everybody was really organized. They did it in a matter of 20 minutes. Everybody that was out in the area in this patio, they knew how to handle the situation. Nobody was hurt, that i noticed from being from the people who were out in the patio. They moved us inside the dubai mall. We were there for a couple minutes and started evacuating everybody to the parking structure and pointing us in the direction of the street. Jacqueline, thank you so much. Cant wait to hear more of that end of the story, which is this 15 to 20minute evacuation, which seems so hard to believe given this is a 63story building. It was fully booked. A place of 824 rooms and now to hear that the e evacuation went so smoothly according to a lot of eyewitnesss and your account as well. Officials saying there are 14 reported injuries. Thank you so much. Well check back with you. Remember we spoke with john about an hour ago. He was talking about being at this amazing race course where so many people have turned out because of the kind of Vantage Point to watch this fireworks display at the burj hotel. So we have john back with us now. So john, how was that 25minute display . Yes, very good. Happy new year to you all. Hope youre all safe and well. Its been a crazy night here. Mixed emotions here. We are live from the amazing race course about four miles outside of Downtown Dubai. Its complete sell out here tonight. 10,000 residents here from all over the world here to see an International Dj. One of the big selling points of coming here tonight and one of the reasons i flew in from england is because we were promised amazing views of the fireworks from the burj khalifa and all the way to the pond. And i would say a good hour before the fireworks were meant to go off, there was a bit of chaos and panic here. Some people started noticing that one of the buildings that you can seer clear from here at the course up in flames. And what looked like bits of the building just tall faing from the sky down to the ground. People started running. Obviously in the times we live in, its a a shame we think like this, but we always think the worse and started running to the exits. Even though were four miles away. Ive got to be honest. Security here were amazing. They assured us that everything was okay. The government was trying to find out the course of what was going on. We got reports a fire started on the balcony. Obviously, we have heard the government wanted to be bigger and better than ever before with the fireworks. The whole world watching to see what they produce this year. And including the address in that fireworks display. A fire on the balcony spread across the building from the ground upwards. And just caused chaos in Downtown Dubai. You could see the smoke fill the skyline here in dubai. We were promised great views of all the amazing buildings they have to offer here and all we got was just this big plume of smoke. It was just a result of the fire coming from the address. We start ed to see sparks comin from the address. Obviously, that was just a repurr cushion of the fire starting and setting off the pyrotechnics and the fireworks. By what people think, they cleared Downtown Dubai in a calm and sensible manner. We were told 10,000 residents here to carry on as we were and enjoy the night. And at the stroke of midnight, the fireworks lit the the sky o. The only thing it was just engulfed in a lot of smoke and still is. The best of your knowledgicalle ical best of your knowled john, here you are four miles away and you mention you are just now doing a great job of explaining the kind of reassurance that officials were giving you that the show was going to go on, that you were safe, et cetera. To what degree did they give you that kind of assurance . Was there a loud speaker involved . Was it just, you know, facetoface interaction if you went to a security person . How did you receive that reassurance. I think because of the times we live in more security has been at this event than you could ever imagine. You only have to look left and right and you see three or four security around you. Again, to credit they didnt disrupt the deejay, they didnt disrupt those that werent concerned or didnt see the fire. They just made sure extra security person was made aware of the situation and told anybody panicking to remain calm. Their new years eve. D enjoy a radio broadcast back in the uk, i suppose broadcast for many of these events ive got to say they handled it so, so well. Because initially when we could see the sky ablaze, just flames coming from this building, some people just really saw red and ran and panicked. They were very, very good in calming people and explaining what was going on. Full credit to the security. Incredible. John dalziel, glad you had a good time. Happy new year to you and that you all feel good about what you came to see. You coming from the uk to dubai, you joining a Million People there in Downtown Dubai to witness what is one of if not the most spectacular fireworks display for a new years celebration in the world taking place at the worlds tallest building. John, thanks so much. Cnn International Anchor Becky Anderson still with me now. Becky, some of the final stretches as we continue to look at a replay of the new years celebration, 25minute spectacular Fireworks Show contrasted with what were looking at the left of our screen that address hotel burning. Whats the latest on the way that building is either contained, further contained last report what 90 according to officials. What are you seeing . Thats right. And i think from theimages were seeing now those on the left of the screen clearly some hours ago. The fire breaking out at about 9 35 local time. P. M. It is now nearly 1 00 in the morning here. So the pictures youre seeing on the left of your screen, viewers, are some hours ago now. And we are told that the fire is some 90 contained. Clearly the next stage will be the authorities and the Emergency Services making sure that the integrity of that building is actually maintained. I mean, clearly some concern about the infrastructure there now, but yes. It was quite a couple of hours it has to be said here in dubai when the address hotel, a fivestar hotel and residential complex of 63 floors, 196 rooms in the hotel and some 626 Service Departments went up in flames effectively. We understand as far as sources tell us that a curtain in one of the rooms on the 20th floor caught alight. And the rest effectively is history. And you were seeing the result of that on your screens. What you were seeing on the right hand side of your screens of course and as you rightly point out was the juxtaposition of what happened at midnight which was some 55 minutes ago. And authorities here despite the fact that this hotel which is only a kilometer or less or so away decided that the fireworks would go on, it was 25 minutes worth of spectacular starting off at the burj khalifa, the tallest building in the world, for about nine or ten minutes. This is probably one of the longest displays in the world because it moves on from the iconic burj khalifa to what is another iconic building here in dubai, the sailshaped hotel on the water here. And then the firework display moves all the way along the beach to some 25 minutes the pictures youre seeing as far as i can tell you are those at the beginning of that display which was at the burj khalifa. But a quite remarkable scene. Some 1 Million People around in dubai to see these fireworks in various places. Tens of thousands outside the burj khalifa or underneath the burj khalifa, so close to the address hotel which had gone up in flames, but such an oddly, oddly audience tonight. A very oddly evacuation at the hotel. And people now at five to 1 00 in the morning making their way away from the scene. And really probably fairly low key it has to be said this evening. But the firework display went on. And life does go on in dubai, as you can see. And they have just demonstrated that in a very big way. Becky anderson, thank you so much. Lets continue talking about this extraordinary fire and display of calmness there and order in Downtown Dubai based on all the information that weve learned from officials thus far. Glenn corbet is a fire official. You heard officials believe this fire may have begun on the 20th floor with a curtain of some sort. Does that square with you knowing how quickly this fire has burned based on what weve been watching live today for the last two hours . Well, fredricka, as we know from a lot of previous incidents, the first accounts are very often inaccurate. I would probably discount that right now of course until we do a much thorough investigation. Uhhuh. So how might they go about trying to investigate the source of this fire and the repidty of its spread . So this is really important to study exactly not so much even how the fire started but what gave it the ferocity we saw here this afternoon. Its very possible since this fire apparently spread vertically up the outside of the building as opposed to the inside points directly to what they used as an exterior finish on the building. Weve had fires like these in the past that use synthetic plastics for decorative purposes, perhaps in the windows and things, where theyve actually contributed greatly to this incredible fire torch up the side of the outside of the building. Thats interesting. But the source or the start of the fire would it seem reasonable that it would be on the inside and then travel, you know, using what could have been an accellerant of this fire. I understand these buildings have balconies on them, the fact the sprinklers leads to believe the fire did start outside. The Sprinkler System even if it was an intentional fire most likely would have been slowed down by the sprinklers. But the fact you had such a large volume of fire on the outside of the building pretty much overwhelmed the Sprinkler System thats there. And my guess is the Fire Department is probably trying to do the best they can to pump as much water into it as they can at least putting water near where the fire is as opposed to stretching hose up 30, 40 stories. All right. Well, its been an extraordinary thing to watch. Officials again are claiming that there are 14 reported injuries. Glenn corbette, fire expert, thanks so much for being with us. Of course were going to continue to watch the developments here. The investigation really just beginning. This extraordinary fire at the address hotel in Downtown Dubai taking place. The fire starting about two hours before the stroke of midnight. And then of course you saw what happened at the stroke of midnight there in dubai, the 2016 celebration got under way. A spectacular fireworks display at the worlds tallest building. And presumably still the 1 Million People expected to converge there in Downtown Dubai did just that seeing an incredible fireworks display all the while this fivestar luxury hotel engulfed in flames. Im fredricka whitfield, thanks so much for being with me the last two hours. Our special coverage continues now with jim sciutto on the lead. Burning curtain. Welcome to our viewers watching in the United States and around the world. This is the lead. Im jim sciutto in again today for jake tapper. And we begin today on this new years eve with breaking news. A massive fire has taken over a luxury hotel in dubai. The fivestar hotel was fully booked for new years eve. And people were gathering in that very spot for an enormous new years eve fireworks display when they ended up witnessing something much more alarming. Youre seeing those pictures there. Now flames have engulfed the 63story structure. There have also been several explosions. The hotel sits just across from the burj khalifa, that is the tallest skyscraper in the world. Amazingly the Dubai Government says tonight there are no major injuries from this fire. And even more