A new fire safety code in the UAE will not apply to projects on which construction has already started, it has been reported.

“The new code is an update of the existing code, so it will not have an impact on ongoing projects,” Lieutenant Colonel Ali Al Mutawa, Assistant General Manager for Smart Services at Dubai Civil Defence, told Zawya Projects.

He was referring to the Fire and Life Safety Code of Practice in the UAE, which is set to be announced in Dubai next week.

“Chapters that have been updated include those relating to fire doors, cladding in buildings and access for Civil Defence trucks to reduce incident response times,” he said.

There have been a series of fires at high-rise towers in the UAE, amid ongoing concerns over the quality of materials used in some buildings in the country.

In Dubai a major fire hit The Address Downtown hotel on New Year’s Eve in 2015, in a blaze police said was caused by an electrical fault.

A UAE-wide series of building inspections was ordered following the incident, in an attempt to ensure fire safety across the country.

Earlier in 2015, a huge fire hit The Torch building in Dubai, which also led to questions being raised over the façade material used.