A fire at the 32-storey Regal Tower in Dubai’s Business Bay area caused the evacuation of the building and minor injuries among office workers, authorities said.

According to reports, the fire broke out on the 26th floor of the commercial tower, with sections of the external cladding burnt at least three floors above the affected area. Dubai Civil Defence personnel were however able to move in quickly and contain the blaze before it spread further.

A Gulf News report said that the fire alarm went off at 9.45am on November 25, but that people initially took it for a fire drill.

“Lot of drills keep happening here, so initially we didn’t take it seriously, but when somebody came shouting that there is a fire we ran out,” Adil, a worker on the 9th floor of the tower, told the newspaper.

Most people in the building were able to escape unhurt as firefighters swept the building and evacuated those stranded on higher floors, it was reported. However, at least three people were reported to have minor injuries, including one suspected broken arm caused by a fall during the evacuation. Others are being treated for smoke inhalation and shock.