Dubai celebrated the New Year with a fireworks display from the Burj Khalifa, despite the smoke billowing from a nearby hotel which had been engulfed in a fire spanning multiple floors.
Most of one side of the Address Hotel, which is located near the world's tallest skyscraper, the Burj Khalifa, was on fire.
Explosions were heard from the building around two hours after the fire started.
Local media say the hotel and the nearby Dubai Mall have been evacuated.
There are currently at least four squads dealing with the blaze. The blaze is 90 per cent under control, and should be fully controlled within 30 minutes, the Government of Dubai Media Office tweeted (in Arabic)
It said the fire started on the 20th floor. The cause is currently unknown.
Although the hotel is next to the city's fireworks celebrations, no fireworks had been set off at the time of the fire.
New Year's Eve celebrations continued as scheduled, with an impressive fireworks display launched from the Burj Khalifa.
There have been at least 14 injuries, the government's media office reports.
The Address hotel is the sixth-tallest building in the city, with 63 floors at 991 feet tall. It has nearly 200 rooms and over 600 apartments.
