Fire forces evacuation of high-rise in Dubai

Flames engulf a portion of Tamweel residential tower at Jumeirah Lakes Towers, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Sunday. AP

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates—Rescue crews in Dubai have evacuated a 34-story residential tower after a fire gutted portions of the building. There was no immediate word on casualties.

The blaze Sunday charred the outside of the structure and send gray smoke drifting over a major development known as Jumeirah Lakes Towers, a cluster of high-rise apartment buildings and shops on the southern edge of Dubai.

Civil defense officials did not give immediate details on possible casualties or the cause of the predawn fire.