Huge fire destroys Astana tower set to become tallest in Central Asia

A huge fire has destroyed a building set to become Central Asia’s tallest tower in the Kazakh capital, Astana.

The fire broke out in the early hours of Saturday morning at the construction site of the Abu Dhabi Plaza, an 88-storey tower standing at 381 metres high, designed by architecture firm HKR architects and being built by United Arab Emirates developer Aldar Properties and contractor Arabtec.

According to the Kazakh interior ministry, the most likely cause of the fire was a heater. The ministry also reported that none of the 150 construction workers were on site at the time of the fire.

The Abu Dhabi Plaza was due to be completed by the end of 2016. The mixed development is set to include residential, retail and office space, as well as a hotel.

Source: Daily Mail