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DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Firefighters are still working to douse the embers from a fire that engulfed a 63-story luxury hotel in Dubai on New Year's Eve.
More than 12 hours after the fire began, firefighters this morning were largely just watching from the ground -- at one point, unable to use a water hose from a ladder truck. They later regained water pressure and resumed spraying the building.
By afternoon, the fire had largely died down, but its embers still sent smoke into the air.
Dubai's Media Office wrote on its official Twitter account that the fire appeared to have started on a 20th floor terrace, though witnesses who saw the blaze start said they believed it began on the building's ground floor.
It's not clear if the hotel was supposed to be involved in the fireworks display at the nearby skyscraper that is the world's largest tower. The blaze broke out just a couple of hours before the fireworks show, which went ahead as scheduled.
The developer that built both the hotel and the taller building says only that "an investigation is ongoing and details will be provided once they are ascertained."
%@AP Links
146-a-15-(Jon Gambrell (gam-BREHL'), AP correspondent)-"started the fire"-AP correspondent Jon Gambrell reports authorities say it appears yesterday's fire started on a 20th floor terrace. ((watch for possible dating)) (1 Jan 2016)
<<CUT *146 (01/01/16)££ 00:15 "started the fire"
143-a-20-(Jon Gambrell (gam-BREHL'), AP correspondent)-"the side there"-AP correspondent Jon Gambrell reports yesterday's skyscraper fire in Dubai continues to burn. ((watch for dating)) (1 Jan 2016)
<<CUT *143 (01/01/16)££ 00:20 "the side there"
APPHOTO XSA113: A fire burns on the Address Downtown skyscraper in Dubai, United Arab Emirates on Friday, Jan. 1, 2016. The blaze began Thursday night before Dubai's annual New Year's Eve fireworks show at the Burj Khalifa, the world's tallest building which sits nearby. (AP Photo/Sunday Alamba) (1 Jan 2016)
<<APPHOTO XSA113 (01/01/16)££
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