Dubai hotel fire: Malayalam actor Baburaj has a dramatic escape

Malayalam actor Baburaj was in Dubai on New Year's eve to shoot his upcoming film Scotch Whisky when tragedy struck. The actor and his crew were staying at the Address Downtown Hotel next to Burj Khalifa as they wanted to shoot the New Year celebrations at the famous landmark.  

Baburaj has recounted to Malayalam Manorama the dramatic escape he and his crew had from the fire on December 31 that gutted the luxury hotel. He was reportedly on the 54th floor when the fire broke out on the 15th floor. There was panic and a mad rush to get out of the hotel once news of the fire started to spread among guests. 

The actor recounted how he left everything in his room - including his passport - and made an escape through the stairs. Climbing down from the 54th floor to the ground floor reportedly took them one hour, amidst the rush of women and children screaming, while many men were drunk and had no clue what to do. The actor also spoke about carrying his 70-year-old production controller who has a history of three heart attacks previously. The team was forced to spend the night on the streets, he said.

Baburaj has said that their production equipment was on the 17th floor and they have no idea about its condition as six floors of the hotel were totally gutted in the blaze. He is now waiting to be issued a new passport so that he can head back to India.