Dubai has new rules after high-rise fires, but few details

Dubai has new fire safety regulations following a series of skyscraper fires in recent years, but has offered few details about them.

A spate of skyscraper fires in fast-growing Dubai have been fueled by paneling on the sides of many buildings here, known as cladding.

While cladding can be made with fire-resistant material, some buildings are covered with quick-burning tiles without any breaks to slow or stop a blaze.

Civil defence officials announced the new rules today, focusing on how many pages the new rules were without offering specifics.

Dubai Civil Defence Lt Taher Hassan al-Taher later told journalists that existing buildings with questionable cladding "would have to change it" under normal maintenance schedules.

Asked how authorities would ensure buildings change their cladding, he said: "That's still on the table."